From Empty Hearts to Full Nets [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright. Deep calls unto deep skim across the surface of life, to the treasures found in God wants to lead you there. Let me use your boat going to the deeper letdown for a catch and and one more one more command.

This really really and that is Jesus is don't be a friend to make sure that's pastor Alan light used that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I've been to Britt excited for you to hear the teaching debate in the series life of Peter is presented in an old church, North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire broadcast how to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now can be yours for your donation this month. Alan Wright industries so as you listen to today's message deeper as we send you this special offer available today. Contact us at pastoralan.org that's Pastor Alan.org or call 877-544-4860.

More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright this time zero life when you been least successful in your most needy God comes and fills your life and using them. It must be because Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for they will be filled is not one thing you can do to earn God's love. Not one thing he already loves you perfectly to be loved perfectly means you can't add to God's love and you can't take away from nothing that you do nothing, whether for good or for bad can add to or diminish the love of God for you and Jesus Christ. Nothing we live in that drink that in Bree that it's okay if nothing can change that in God is already utterly 100% for you at every point.

The only real thing that changes is the way in which I hunger and I thirst for him. These fishermen had they been successful and had a boatload of fish they might still embedded C catching my mind still been on the land busy with their fish, but instead ironically, this boat was far more valuable empty than it ever could have been full for the Lord of the universe had use of it and Peter devoid of productivity and tired and frustrated. Let beat Jesus uses when Jesus asked to use the boat or didn't so much as it is got in the boat and he gave a command take me a little bit from the shore, Peter doesn't realize what's going to happen and there's no earth shattering faith from Peter. Here he just obeys he's not even expecting a miracle in return.

He just says yes. When Jesus says I have need of your boat and mark this well because there is an aspect to obedience in the Christian life where there many times. Jesus just tells you to do something and you really have no real idea why you still need to do that.

And yet, in the love of God, there is obedience and in a revolutionary new way of understanding the exhortations and commands of God in the covenant of grace. What you realize is that if God is giving you a command is going to be for your good. So that's the first commandment let me out here in the boat to teach and then the second command is put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch, put out into the deep and let not your nets for a catch is not put out into the deep and try to catch some fish is put out into the deep and catch a bunch of fish. The command is go deep and catch a bunch. They tried all night long and so that's what you're reading a story like this. Let your mind just stop in this part of the way I read scriptures just stop and see yourself there and let let your your mind's eye wander in a holy imagination to what the scene was really like. And don't just skip past the little statements like they had fished all night long was last time you pulled an all-nighter working. I'm not talking about you had the night shift, and he slept in the dam talking about his head, pulling all-nighter onto a what's happened to me is that as I have aged some the all-nighter is trouble for me, and I have been sick over the last couple weeks. I actually first time I've had a cough that turned into some walking pneumonia and I never had it before and I had actually just hunker down and get well over last couple weeks and I'll tell you where it started.

I blame it on the Clemson football team, and here's why. I'll pull the gloves of the wind and the national championship in college football and why they had to play that game so late that night and it happened that the next morning I had to get up at three something to go catch an airplane to go to ministers meeting and I shouldn't watch that football game.

That game to get over till 1230, and then if Clemson had played better and I felt better. Going to bed made out of slept at least a little bit but instead I'll sleep hardly at all. Get the next morning and I basically pulled an all-nighter and when I got to my ministers meeting I sat down all crammed around this table and I sat down to a friend from Virginia was there and I realize what's out of school and stay there next to him. He was sick and I should have just excused myself and moved to some other part of the room, but being a polite person I was. I just sat there and called his cold because I've been all-nighter and my immune system was compromised and that's how I got pneumonia and is all Clemson's fault, but I'm just saying don't skip past this when you're reading Scripture like that. It says they stayed up all night fishing.

These men were professional fishermen is what they did what they love to do if their passion is what it's like. If you have Peter what are you good at it so I may not be educated. I may not have the book smart but I sure know how to fish and I knew the best spots and they knew how to catch fish and they tried all night long. You. How is what you just keep going because you're like okay now it's three in the morning and we still fishing but were in this deep we might as well go in deeper and you just keep trying to keep trying at times like they like they are exhausted. Also, that this is a night that was not fun. This is a night in which it leaves Peter exhausted and frustrated and he is he is empty and Jesus says go back out put in the catch a lot of fish was in the context of that that you look at Peter's life. And you say this kind of sums up Peter's life. He was 11 thing you like about Peter is this this man he work hard for he try harder is that the women final night. I understand this, but because you say so let Jesus doesn't use Peter's boat without redeeming Peter's boat.

The boat was designed to catch fish. Jesus used it in the boat started catching fish. Jesus doesn't take the empty exhausted life and simply use it. He redeems he restores he is not a God who dangles a blessing in front of you and yanks it away is a father series of the memory came back to me this week as I was thinking about the blessing of God and how he just blesses Peter socks off here and surprising way. We had an outreach event some years ago in urban section of town and as we've done in cooperation with Larry reverence ministries and other ministries and towns from year to year and time to time, but this particular outreach event of some of the organizers from our church a decided we would give way bicycles to children and was one of the most fun things I ever saw. I wish I can remember how many many bikes. We we had 20 bytes with 20 bikes and looking back on it, and there were miracles about how we got those bikes and other great crackers involved in getting these bikes. It was this beautiful day and looking back, I like that I'm sure glad Lord work that out. We had turned out there about 20 kids. We had about 20 bikes otherwise would have a riot on our hands elevated and I think we get a little number out all the kids that came in wanting kids get a bicycle for the first and was one little boy that he got a little bike and it just fit in perfectly and he was cute as a button and I see that smile in his face that he was his, pedal around little bit on that bike right there in the parking lot, and as I saw the boy and his mother and then what looked to be. Must've been as I could surmise the mother's boyfriend came and he came over to little boy and looked at this little boy and said why you looking at me like that and wants little countenance drop on this boy's face and then the man said to him, I'll take that bike. I like the way you look at me and you could see in a thousand different emotion in this child's heart.

What was going on was I so love my new bike but the fear of being taken away almost makes it not worth being given the bike in the first place. That's Alan Wright will have more teaching moment from today's important series pressures always find hard to say no way that shall disappoint someone one thing in any relationship in paradise. They were naked and felt no shame entered the world and became anxious and nine question like this painting.

There is only one solution. The grace of God that lifts our shame. Six master class. Pastor Alan exposes the shame and share is an individual or in a snobbery series is sure to bring healing and hope I might ministries this month digital master class but is instead. Thanks for your partnership in a world separate shame.

It's time to let God's grace to the shame we steal things from Alan Wright Ministries, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor out and got a work today's teaching now continues here once again is so many people. This is the way their soul is living life as if got to do something good for your buddy Mike is taken away. It was superstitiously where something good happens. LOL I'm healthy and SMSes knock on wood. When we get this from Michael would the pagans used to believe that there were spirits in the trees so they knock on the trees really do have a father they love to see this interaction of Jesus and Peter is the nature of God, yes.

He asks Peter for the most treasured thing that he has. He takes the MTS thing that Peter has been redeems let down for a catch is an invitation of God to flourish. Jesus has a greater blessing and mind than what Peter could have imagined. Jesus is saying I'm not here to reduce the value of your boat. I'm here to redeem the value of your boat. I did not come come to condemn but to say I did not come to devalue your life but to make your life what was always meant to be. Now go out into the deep and drop down for a It is also an invitation. Is it not to the deeper life for dropping down the deep a picture of of the hidden revelations of God and how it is that one sweet revelation from God changes everything in your life call to me. Jeremiah prophesies the Lord says, and I will show you hidden, and unsearchable thing. There are wondrous treasures that God has hidden around you and he wants to reveal them to you and show them this is what encouragement is. It's not making you wealthy at showing you the wealth that you already have. You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ, go into the depths. Deep calls unto deep.

Do not skim across the surface of life, I'm tell you the treasures down deep and God wants to lead you there. Let me use your boat going to the diva letdown for a catch and and one more one more command.

That's really really important and that is Jesus is don't be afraid I'm gonna make you fishers of men. Because what happens is that Peter when he realizes he's in the presence of the supernatural and Peter is having. This is where the beginnings of him coming to the point that one day you'll see your the Christ the son of the living God. He's seeing these miracles up close. He's saying that this is no ordinary man is saying this is not just your ordinary rabbi. See, this is God he's discovering that he is in the presence of the perfectly holy and powerful and sovereign one and what happens when Peter encounters that they naturally says what was me like Isaiah the prophet said he is saying I'm sinful depart for me it is the natural human response to the glory of God.

Think how you would respond if you were to encounter a dinosaur. Think how you respond when using anything that is greater and bigger and more powerful than you. The natural response is to get away from it out of terror big in Jesus's here comes the gospel don't be afraid international sent you want to be afraid. What I'm saying is I'm here so you don't need to be afraid and he comforts him away to me is kind of comical. He comforts him, not by diminishing the scope in the coal computers life, but by magnifying don't be afraid to make your fishermen. Jesus doesn't lift our fears by lowering our mission but by raising it in his revelation and power we tend to think of the way to be calm down is to reduce our expectations lower your dream and diminish responsibility. But here you see Jesus doing just the opposite.

Your fear in life is not a result of seeing too much of God, but too little of him is not a result of seeing too much of your destiny but to little ironically it was the impartation of the word of God to Peter about it.

Fast destiny in the presence of a glorious God that actually would alleviate his fear friend and author Gordon Dalbey wrote once of the man he was counseling with who had a chronic nightmare that he was being chased by a lion, and as a lion would get nearer the man would wake up in an terror night after night would happen, and Gordon was counseling with him and Gordon hears from God, and they were praying together about what all of this might mean and how this night terror could be lifted and the Lord begin to show Gordon that it wasn't that he was supposed to escape from this lien as we begin to talk to the man about his fears about courage and realize that his life was actually symbolized by running from his own courage and running from the lion that was his strength and his fear was answered in his dreams were solved when instead of running he embraced his destiny.

His manhood something like this, Jesus is saying to Peter, I'm gonna make you into a fisherman.

Don't be afraid of me now you haven't seen anything yet. So three commands that are commands I think for Peter, and I think for each one of us. Jesus says let me use whatever you treasure and whatever is empty in your life like to use that I like to take you to a deeper place. I want to let down for catch and don't be afraid flip over to John chapter 21 he really is the bookend of this story because this story is so similar and yet it's much later in his life after Jesus has been raised from the dead and Peter and John 21 is another scene where he goes fishing John chapter 21 verse three Simon Peter said that I'm going fishing just after all of the events, the fear, the denial of Jesus the crucifixion, the hiding for fear of the Jews, the acknowledgment of the resurrection of Jesus. All of life is swirling and Peter does what so many of us do. He just wants to go back to what's familiar. I'm going fishing and so the others go with them and just at verse four as day was breaking. Jesus stood on the shore of the disciples did not know was Jesus. Jesus said in children do you have any fish and answer them. No, they said, cast the net on the right side of the boat. You'll find some so they cast it, and now they are not able to haul it in because the quantity of the fish. Sound familiar, and the disciple whom Jesus loved. That's how John was described therefore said to Peter, it is the Lord was Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord. He put on his outer garment for a strip for work and he threw himself into the sea though the disciples came about, dragging the net full of fish for their not far from the lab at about 100 yards off Peter realizes is the Lord is the Lord and so he did the hives in the water, start swimming to Jesus wants change in Peter's life is begun to get the gospel he is in the same situation miraculous catch of fish recognizes Jesus and who he is.

But instead of saying, depart from me, he swims all of his heart and all of his mind. It's Jesus I want to be near to him. When God gives a command is not a curse. It's a blessing.

He doesn't give a command to take something from you. He gives a command given something to you for in the new covenant. The promise of God is in command must gospel that really sets the Christian faith apart from any other faith.

I believe it's today's teaching from empty hearts to full nets in the life of Peter stay with us. Alan is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life in a fight over pressures always find it hard to say no way that shall disappoint someone one thing in any relationship in paradise. They were naked and felt no shame and entered the world they became anxious and driven nine question like this painting. There is only one solution. The grace of God that lifts our shame seeks meet your master class.

Pastor Alan exposes the shame and shows the individual or in a small series is sure to bring healing and hope are night ministries this month thinking the digital master class but is instead. Thanks for your partnership in a world separate shame. It's time to let God's grace to shame. We missed our night ministries, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website. Pastor our and got work to Alan with this is, we hear the conclusion of this with this right along with Jesus's words. My yoke is easy and my burden is light and in the commands of God really are a blessing. The commands of God are not burdensome and this is one of the biggest shifts from a legalistic mentality to a gospel mentality when we live in the grace of Jesus.

It doesn't mean that we sit around and do nothing. No little radical lives of obedience to him or not live in that obedience because were afraid that he's gonna reject us if we don't were not slaves that are fearing punishment of a master were sons and daughters were eight years and so when our father gives us command. It's different means that there is a gift, and there is something of value in. That's the transformation really getting out was on Peter's life is there was a time earlier in his life where he would just say Jesus will depart from me see that your holy you done something miraculous.

But once he really really realizes the resurrected Lord Jesus and understands the gospel is ready just dive you and leave everything behind and swim to Jesus because in the in it's not about us. Following these rules, it's about our fellowship with God and he speaks to us, leads us and guides us. He gives an order. It is a gift, something good is coming. Today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries