Luke 5: 4-11
Let’s talk about Simon Peter this morning. Peter was a professional fisherman and even owned his own boat. Peter was a professional fisherman because fishing paid the bills and provided for his family.
Luke 5:4-11 New International Version
“4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
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.”
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.
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 fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed him.
One day, Peter and his relatives went out to fish. They had finished all night but did not catch a single fish. This would have been a devastation to them, because they depended on the fish to feed their families.
I don’t know if you know a whole lot about fishing, but throwing nets in and off a boat is a lot of work. The fisherman hast to cast in the nets a certain way and pull in the nets a certain way. The fisherman hast to even store the nets, a certain way, because once they are tangled up, they are no good.
He was probably very tired and had to clean and fold the nets. Jesus came by and asked to set in his boat. They must’ve had a conversation about the day’s events, but Jesus asked: to go back out again. Peter probably said I don’t do this for everyone, but since it’s you, I’ll go.
This is very important for our ministries today. These mortal bodies ache and groan. Our bodies grow weary and tired. However, after a long day’s work, God gives us a job to do. And we say: because it’s you Lord and you asked, I’ll go! The last time that happened to me was on a Tuesday. I had preached at the Inner City Mission Gathering, I had helped Felecia a little bit with the Mission Of Hope, I had delivered boxes for Hissom Inner-City mission, I had a doctor’s appointment, and you get the point: I had a long day! My husband came home from work, and said: a friend from work needed me to go to the hospital. I first said: can it wait till tomorrow? But, the Lord said to go now. And, of course, I said: because it’s you, Lord, I will go.
We have all had times like these in our ministries, and if not, we need to answer and yield to the Holy Spirit more often.
Peter loves Jesus! Therefore, Peter obeyed! Then, Jesus sent so many fish that his boat could not contain the catch. Therefore, Peter summons his family and coworkers to come to his aid.
Jesus then tells Peter to follow him, and he would make them fishermen of men.
Do you know, that if God calls; then, he will make away? Every time God has called me, he has made away for my family too. I think, Jesus gave the men, his disciples, this large of a catch, because he knew they would be in ministry for the next three years. If the men just up and left to follow Jesus; then, they would have had their family and their village to process those fish, because those fish were their livelihoods. Those fish would’ve provided them with food for the upcoming days and income for barter and trade. Jesus never leaves his children! God always provides for His children!
Scripture tells us that he will never leave us, nor for sake us. Deuteronomy 31:8
8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Do you know when we become followers of Jesus we are fishermen for men? This is our great commission we are to seek and save the lost. Now, you can learn more about this great commission by reading Matthew 28:16-20. Doing this we have to “lay down our lives for our friends!” How do we do this? How do we lay down our lives for our friends? Well, let me give you some ministry examples…
- When you call me “I put my life on hold” and answer the call.
- When you give me your prayer request “ I put my live on hold” and pray with you and for you.
- When I am called to the hospital “I put my live on hold” and minister in the hospital.
- When someone dies “I lay down my desires and obligations” to perform the ceremony and minister to the family.
- When someone gets married “we stop our lives” and attend the wedding.
This leads us to another very similar scripture: Ephesians 5:25
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
So, husbands lay down your life! Well, this may mean to die in her place and/or protect her, but this also means let your life be interrupted with her needs and wants. Men, if your wives have a commitment, you should help her honor it!
However, Ephesians 5:22-33
King James Version
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
So, wives we should also let our lives be interrupted with his needs and wants. Wives we should also help our husbands fulfill their commitments especially if they are unto the Lord.
Spousal abuse enters when one thinks he or she is the boss over the other one.
As Christians we are to follow God and put the kingdom of God first. In fact, you’ll find this command in Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
I know you thought our lesson was done, but Let’s go back to verse four! I asked the Holy Spirit the following question: Why were people gathered around Jesus?
People were gathered to hear Jesus’ teaching. Jesus had been preaching the Kingdom of God throughout the region of Judea (Luke 4:44).
Luke 4:44, KJV: And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
By now, he was a well known Rabbi.
This area has been surveyed and studied tremendously! People travel to the Sea Daily to experience the events recorded in Scriptures. According to scientists the slopes at the lake shore made an amphitheater. Historical books have recorded that the Sea of Galilee and easily hold 7,000 people. Speaking from Peter’s boat would have been like being at a theater.
Another question I had about the Scripture was the following: Did Peter know Jesus?
Yes. It was not his first encounter with Jesus. He had met with Jesus before.
John 1:40-41 – Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).
Another question the Spirit wants us to consider is the following: “How did Peter respond?”
Peter was a fisherman. He knew that this was no ordinary incident. This was a supernatural act of God. He knew that he had just witnessed a miracle.
It is fascinating, how Peter responded. When he had truly experienced and knew the power and identity of Jesus, he first realized his own sinfulness, his own unworthiness.
When we have an encounter with the Holy and Living God, we realize how sinful we are.
Peter was not the only one in the Bible with such response.
For example, when Isaiah saw the Glory of God, he was the similar response.
(Read Isaiah 6:5)
“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
This leads us to our final question: “If we find ourselves in this situation, a situation of sin, what do we need to do about it?”
The proper way to handle sin is to confess it to God and forsake it. Each of these two basic steps deserves a closer look:
First, confession is the proper way to handle sin. Naturally, to confess our sin, we must recognize that what we’ve done (or left undone) is sinful. The apostle John, writing to believers, said, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
To “confess” is to “agree with.” To properly handle sin in our lives, we must agree with God about our behavior; if the Bible calls something we’ve been doing “sin,” then we should call it “sin” as well. In our confession, we should be brave enough to be completely honest before the Lord. We should start by confessing all known sin and then ask the Lord to reveal any other sin that may need confessing. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24). Biblically, our confession is made to God, not to a priest. Jesus is our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).
When we properly handle sin through confession, we have this promise: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This promise was encouraging to the people John was writing to in the first century AD, and is encouraging to us today. It is the heart of the gospel. Jesus sits enthroned at the right hand of God the Father, a position of power and influence. He intercedes for those who are His, made so by grace through faith. When someone who is in Christ sins, it’s as if Jesus says to His Father, “I have paid for that sin.” The Father forgives us on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. He is faithful to do so, in keeping with His promise; and He is just to do so, because Jesus has already paid the price for the sin.
Second, forsaking the sin is the proper way to handle sin. When Jesus forgave the woman taken in adultery, He told her, “Go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). Go—that is the word of forgiveness and release. Sin no more—that is God’s command to live a holy life.
We cannot seriously claim to be properly handling sin if we refuse to give it up. If we find a venomous snake inside the house, we don’t toy with it; we remove it from the premises. If we discover cancer in our body, we don’t go about business as usual; we begin an aggressive treatment program to pursue a clean bill of health. And if we become aware of sin in our lives, we do all we can to change our behavior to please the Lord.
To handle sin properly, we should not only forsake the sin but also seek to make restitution for our wrongs, when possible. Zacchaeus is a good example of this (Luke 19:8). We should also take steps to avoid falling into the same trap again. This means establishing new habits, frequenting different places, and avoiding certain people: “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin” (Proverbs 18:24). We should heed God’s command: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11).
To properly handle sin, we must follow the directives in God’s Word. We must “watch and pray so that [we] will not fall into temptation” (Mark 14:38). And we must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. When He is grieved, it is time to confess our sin and forsake it (see Ephesians 4:30).
When we properly handle sin in our lives, our lives will change, and we will “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:9). We will live in the confidence that our sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven in Christ (Romans 8:1). We will praise the Lord of our salvation as the One who can keep us from stumbling (Jude 1:24–25). We will trust Him to finish in us the work that He began (Philippians 1:6).
When we properly handle sin in our lives, we will prove the truth of Proverbs 28:13: “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (ESV, emphasis added)
You cannot straddle the fence. If you do not confess your sins in this life and accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior: when you die you will not receive mercy. You will not not receive your inheritance if you reject Jesus Christ the son.
Hell was not made for anyone but For the Devil but and his demons. But because we reject Jesus Christ we deserve to be in hell.
