Talking to "Too Late" People, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ what the great decision like it's never too late the thief on the cross. It's never too late. One of the things I most joyful waters is people in this congregation and men that I know a particular comment, Jesus Christ in her 70s and never too late with the Lord. It's never too late. That's what he is saying.

Joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of fellowship monitored, located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows up how God's word meets our world especially in the context of counseling.

I have seen a look. I call it, it's too late. Look, usually people will arise shake her head. Sometimes a person lives using the log you're talking to a friend on the verge of divorce and you say to them, can't you try one more time and they give you the too late. Look and roll their eyes and shake her head, your husband and your father haven't spoken for a couple years so you save your husband can we try one more time and he looks away and gives a look at the bottom falls out of your own personal economy and someone says to you, you know, back-to-school. You can learn a new trade.

What you do you give the look it's too late to old too late to save a marriage too late to reconcile too late to start a new career.

The two laypeople are everywhere. In fact, the lot two laypeople here this morning and perhaps maybe you're too late person. By the way, if you are, you're not exactly in bad company. There been a lot of people that are too late. Abraham and Sarah, it's too late, will never have an air Moses I'm too old. This is too late. I maybe there's no way that I can deliver a people from Egypt. Hannah, it's too late to give birth to Samuel Zacharias and Elizabeth, it's too late for us to ever have a child by John the Baptist last time you remember Mary and Martha, it's too late to help Lazarus is just too late. If you're not up to a person. You certainly have two late moments where you express either verbally or nonverbally.

That from your point of view, it's just too late. And again, you're in good company. That's exactly what Peter did and Peter.

You would've thought in his too late. Experience with the Lord would've learned something he would never forget, but he does open your Bibles to Luke chapter 5 Luke chapter 5 were a series that I've called conversations with Jesus.

We dealt with the skeptic Nathaniel in a religious insider Nicodemus and immoral outsider. The woman at the well. We've also dealt with legalistic Pharisees in a conversation Jesus had with the devil himself. Last time we dealt with Jesus having a conversation for grieving believers Mary and Martha the context here in chapter 5 in the scene is found in the first verse right at the end when it says the leg of the Nazareth. It's really the Sea of Galilee, the sea of Tiberius different names. You know what you're familiar with it, 13 miles x 6 miles not large but certainly not small today. It's kind of a sleepy place their torso go there every once in a while and look around at C Galli's famous divorce, especially Christians, but in the day of Christ.

It was a hub there people everywhere that one historian said at the time of Christ. There were nine different cities around the Sea of Galilee that populations of over 15,000 people and whenever Jesus went there, especially in this case.

Early in his ministry there. People everywhere, and that sort of sets up the scene. He had just finished if you look at verse 44 of the prior chapter. Luke says he had kept on preaching the synagogues of Judea. He had a ministry and you need in the south and always up at the Sea of Galilee, and now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around him and listening to the word of God. He was standing by the lake of Nazareth.

He saw two boats lying on the edge of the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and washing their nets. The cloud is so large and so pressing on Jesus.

He keeps backing up.

They keep coming forward to finally he's finds himself right on the edge of the seat and then he gets an idea and he sees the boats, so he decides maybe one of those would help me a great deal and it said in verse regarding the one of the boats which was Simon's and he asked him to put out a little way from the land and he sat down and began teaching the people from the boat when you compare that verse with what was said in verse one and listening to the word of God. Just imagine what that be like we never get these rarely do we get these type of things. The information what was Jesus teaching he was teaching the word of God is teaching the Old Testament you imagine Jesus Christ just spending a whole morning teaching the Old Testament. Remember the men on the road to Emmaus. He taught them the Old Testament concerning himself and a set our hearts burn within us when we we heard him teach the Old Testament. Just imagine what that would've been like any anything about anything about assignments assignment admin fishing and he was fishing all night long and he's tired, he's really tired, but he's listening so he says the Simon. It's as and when he had finished speaking he comes up with this idea from. He said to Simon put out in the deep water and went on your nets for a catch. That is not exactly what Simon wanted to hear my way to deep water in the C Galli's 140 feet actually dewater that small lake there something else though Simon is introduced again. You see, I think perhaps you have never thought about this but Simon was really called in stages. The disciples were called that way in John one was the first calling first time he said follow me and then in Mark one and Matthew 40 have a second occurrence in this is the third occurrence is not only for Simon Peter before James and John, the sons of Zebedee as well. Jesus teaching the word of God. The last thing in the world. Simon expect to be here was that put out in deep water and let down your nets for a catch you. Don't fish in the daylight is not good fishing and surly not dewater you fish at night and you fish in the shallow water because it the coolest a while the ship come close to fish come closer to shore and by the way their nets are only so long and so deep water fishing is very hard and Simon's already had a very long long night. Every single time that they Casio say in a moment every single time.

When he started to pull the nets and they realized their empty so that morning. All he had inside been extremely tired with sore hands and an aching back and so when Jesus said that I know exactly what Simon did. He rolled his eyes or shook his head astutely stewing. Hey, I know you're Israel's Messiah. I know you're from Nazareth and a phenomenal carpenter, but I'm a professional fisherman known in my professional fisherman. My dad's a professional fisherman. My grandfather, my uncles were all professional fisherman. I know when to fish. This is my territory notice. Simon is very very nice about it.

He said Master. We worked hard all night and caught nothing.

You see, there is we paraphrase it, it's too late. That's what he is saying it's too late. No disrespect, but it's too late. You say the same kind of things all the time.

You're not fisherman sobriety pond and I could never get sober. I've tried. I mean, I've tried.

I've been in and out of programs. I've tried to late.

I can go with it.

Solvency men my debt is like an envelope hung around my neck.

There's just no way I'm going to make it headway with this I mean I've taught the financial planners of too late happy marriage. I've tried conferences, seminars. I read books. We went to a counselor. What a waste of money. I tried to late to a people seems to late you want to get involved in what do you know how old I am. It's too late. This is too late. We stayed in a thousand different ways and now the Lord is asking us to go fishing in the middle the morning and Deepwater. Why would he do that. Why would he do that because it's never too late for Christ it's never too late for Christ. You see, that's the point. He knows what Simon's thinking are all thinking it's never too late for Christ. Will you think would've learned that last week Lazarus four days bed too late never too late for Christ. See, it's never too late. No matter what the great decision like it's never too late the thief on the cross. It's never too late.

One of the things I am most joyful of us is people in this congregation and men that I know in particular who come to Jesus Christ in their 70s and 80s. It's never too late with the Lord. It's never too late. That's what he is saying second point is this. He is capable of doing more than you could ever imagine. You see, maybe we should follow Peter's lead. But even though we had that thought. Notice what he says then he said, but I will do as you say Emma down the nets of the and when they had done this.

They enclosed the great quantity of fish in the nets began to break and they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them and they came in a field of both of the boats and they began to sink. By the way this in the Pierrot is in the John boat is a commercial fishing boats.

The good size that accrues on. I remember when I first moved here a minute was a Cajun who went our church talk about the good old days and he said the day actually would catch at times speckled trout.

So many speckled trout that the Pierrot would want to sink. They just fill it.

This is much bigger than that.

You know how many times this kind of thing happens on the Sea of Galilee never Peter knows never.

They have so many fish you see the idea again is he's capable of doing more than you could possibly imagine how this happened a lot.

He was lucky we know better knowing the consensus is sort of like when you were the fish were clearly I like which Archambault said maybe created the fish and put them in the net. You see, would you be shocked by that that he ever work with fishes and lows before that 5000 men and their families. Remember when it was taxes to be paid. They pay taxes accordingly found in the fish. One commentator said it this way. He knows what nobody knows and he can do what nobody does.

That's why it's never too late for the Lord in your life, no limitations is only limitation is the sovereign will. What it is that he wills so please when you speak of your addictions and your failures, your limitations, your lousy marriage. Whenever you talk about that your illness, whatever it is please please don't. It's too late. It's never too late for not ever, and you might be surprised what he can do well when Simon Peter saw that he fell down at Jesus feet and said go away from me, Lord, I am a sinful man, what a great response when the Lord intervenes in your life like that. How about this personal worship, personal worship is false.

It is feet. Why he's seeing Christ now for who he is. Whenever you see Christ for who he is.

Guess what you see you for who you are. Anytime somebody's in the presence of God is the same response.

Notice Peter's request, Lord, get away from me, please leave me. I'm a sinful man, the exact opposite of by the way, why Jesus brought this event. He wanted to draw Peter closer to he wanted to change Peter's life.

He wanted Peter to stop this idea that it's too late to. He says for amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of the fish which you taken a maze meant that were by the way, is almost ended. It basically means wonder or shock me ask you this. Are you amazed by Jesus Christ. 140 are you amazed that he's touching your life amazed this is a good question asking that because so often were not amazed Peter is amazed by this law. Whenever this happens not too late for the Lord Inc. is capable of doing things. We could possibly can possibly imagine. Notice the aftermath it says.

And so with James and John, the sons of Zebedee and the partners of Simon and Jesus said to Simon. Do not fear. From now on will be catching men get told that before. By the way, he said you'll be catching men to be fishermen bigger than a fish for men highest calling on earth catching people with the gospel and that of Jesus Christ is that's what the call to do.

That's why you're born Peter. That's why you're here. You know what Job so often 01 decisions not enough.

How many times in your life if you said from now on I would be right with the Lord my God, I'm really right to stop doing this. I'm in a start doing that to do it. I'm going to do it. How many times you see, you start out willing to start doing it and then what happens sink right back is exactly what happens to Peter just a couple years later this man who confessed Jesus Christ and the water denies Jesus Christ by the fire and denies him not once, not twice but three times. He doesn't, denying to the Romans are the necessarily authorities but the servant girl's last denial could have within it the context of cursing the Lord what happened. You see what Jesus wanted from Peter in this incident is the Peter to go from a too late person doing all and now person, but Peter don't say it's too late it's go all in all but I want to be fishers of men. I want you to do what I'm asking you to do and then after he denied Jesus Christ you what Peter thought it's too late. Lord can use me. Now it's too late when right back due to a person tells me now that John 21. The gospel John 21, right near the end of the gospel. Now you remember that after Jesus Christ had appeared from the dead of the resurrection twice to them. He told them on the second occasion he told him that I go to Galilee, to a mountain and I will meet you there while they get to Galilee. But there's no mountain Peter and window mountain. He's doing what we often do.

He's preoccupied with feeling sorry for himself.

So Peter decides to do when he knows he wants to go fishing for and after these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples of the sea of Tiberius, and he manifested himself in this way.

Simon Peter, and Thomas call didymus and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee and the twos sons of Zebedee to other the disciples were there. There were seven of them there. Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing.

They said to him, we also will come with you and they went out and got into the boat, all it was night and that night they caught zip nothing déjà vu all over again. You see they're going to experience the same thing by the here's a principle, you have to understand if you on your own accord through your own willful actions don't learn an important lesson that the Lord has for you. He's likely to bring about again that's just my experience again experience again and again and again is very patient when it comes to us now verse four when the day was now breaking. Jesus stood on the beach and yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

So Jesus said to them, children do not have any fish to and they answered no and he said to them, cast the net on the right hand side of the boat and you'll find a catch.

No, I would imagine many of the other guys.

Especially not James and John and Peter in with the other guys Bobby did at that moment, rolled her eyes shut. The left side right side front side backside we been on this side of the lake. That's like nothing but maybe Peter, James or John said I think you had a cast in. I think I remember something like this happening before. So they do and so they cast and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number fish and therefore says that disciple whom Jesus loved, that's John said to Peter, it's Lord yellow of John Jenna Peter don't have to Lord and so when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord.

He put his undergarment on 40 was stripped for work and he throws himself into the sea is like that's the Lord. He just throws himself in the always always always ask before he thinks with everything he does. You might be the kind of person great emotion great zeal, not a lot of wisdom sometimes. But the other disciples came in a little boat for they were not far from Lynn but about 100 yards away, dragging the net full of fish subpoena 100 yards after night fishing. By the way, the kind of clothing they had when you're in the water. I am a hunch that's gonna drag you down. But Peter had the seal so when they got out of the boat. I got on land they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on Brent, there's already fish in the charter far out by West other fish.

The bringing of fish and were to get the fish was just lucky was a coincidence fitting over the fish were were check when swindle might say that he create official no trouble far. I don't know Jesus knows things no one else knows they can do things no one else does knows what he's doing is given a breakfast please understand is a little background of this he told them that for as long as I live I will provide for you. So here they are post-resurrection. He says I would like breakfast told you I would provide tells us the same thing to Catherine Brueggemann you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs as well at Fellowship in the Word.

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