Following The Right Leader Part 1

Looking to Jesus and perfecter as believers we run life's race to please Jesus who sets the pace is the goal for every day use the leader.

We are eager to follow today. Peter will learn a great lesson from his new leader lesson on trusting beyond his own experience from the Moody Church in Chicago.

This is running with Dr. Erwin Sir, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line.

We are studying the life of Peter, a man chiseled by the Masters and today when Luther begins a message on Peter's early days one he's entitled following the right leader and you know Dave following the right leader is as important today as it was in the life of Peter.

The question is who shall we follow in the church in Germany under Hitler face that question, Bonhoeffer told him that there was one altered before whom the church should bow, namely that of Christ and of course you also had the other altar. The altar of Nazi-ism in my book entitled Hitler's cross how the cross of Christ was used as a symbol of the Nazi agenda and to promote the Nazi agenda. These are the kinds of issues that I discuss now for a gift of any amount. This book can be yours.

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Go to RTW offer.com. This of course is our featured resource this month you go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Now let us speak about the true leader whom we should all follow. It's been said and I suppose the statistic is accurate that about 90% of all Christians have never led anyone to saving faith in Jesus Christ. I would like to think that those statistics aren't accurate but they may be.

Let me ask you, why is it that we do not witness, why is it that sometimes even those of us who know the gospel very well keep it to ourselves, sometimes we may say well it's because I'm not spiritual enough. These are excuses that all of us abused. I'd use them on okay. We say you know if we only had it together more if we were really godly. Then we'd feel free to share the gospel with other of course, the fact is that there are many people have walked with God for many years and they don't witness either.

Sometimes even the godly ones don't. Or we may say to ourselves. I don't know how that is in a very good excuse. Is it because all of us know that witnessing is nothing more than one beggar telling another beggar where he can get Brad we can all point men and women to Christ, and we have seminars from time to time here available at the church that help us become better witnesses. Another excuse may be well and we don't have the gift if you know anything about spiritual gifts, you know that one gift is the gift of evangelism. So it's easy to say well, that isn't really my gift, and so we excuse ourselves from witnessing to the gospel of Christ. But I think that when all of this settles down. Probably the real reason that many of us, myself included, have bypassed a wonderful opportunities to tell others about Christ. The real reason is because of the fear that we might be thought on balls that we may be thought just a little bit kooky to talk to others about Jesus. Remember when Larry Poland was here two or three weeks ago when he spoke at her business luncheon. He let a man to Christ.

He was telling us the story in Hollywood and after the man was gloriously converted and his life changed.

He told Larry's that you don't was interesting. He said when I was addicted and ruining my life and my health.

Nobody in Hollywood told me I was crazy. He said when I was destroying my marriage. Nobody told me I was crazy when I was alienating my children. Nobody told me that I was crazy.

But after I accepted Christ as my Savior. He said I said to a friend I met God and he said you're crazy. You see the truth is that most of us don't want to be thought of as just a little bit crazy and so we don't share our faith in Christ. Those of you who were here last Sunday know that I've begun a series of 12 messages on the life of Peter.

Last week we looked at the way in which Peter met Christ in Jesus beheld him. Jesus gazed at him, look to his eyes and said Peter your name is Simon, but you're going to be called Peter which means rock. By the way, we had several people last week who had their names changed. I receive even a letter from a visitor who said I came to church and he said my name was abuse and my name was anxiety but Jesus changed me and gave me a new name and my new name is peace. Christ still does that. By the way, but today we come to a second episode in the life of Peter and that is when Jesus Christ called him to be a disciple. Take your Bible and turn. First of all to Mark chapter 1 where we see a summary version of his call, but then also, while you're turning to Mark one turn to the fifth chapter of Luke where we see the same incident. I believe it's the same incident in a little bit more detail. It says in Mark 116, and as he that is asked Christ was going along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon. Remember it was Andrew that actually brought Peter to Christ, and that they were casting and net in the sea, for they were fishermen.

And Jesus said to them, follow me and I will make you to become fishers of men. And immediately they left the nets and followed him. Notice verse 19 and 20 indicates that these brothers had a business going. There were a number of people who were involved in the business because there was also James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets and immediately he called them and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the higher disturbance notice how many they had working for them and they went to follow Christ. Now I want you to look at the fifth chapter of Luke because I think that Luke chapter 5 is essentially the same story where Jesus is again asking Peter to come and to become a fisherman of man. For example, in verse 10 it says and also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon and Jesus said to Simon.

Do not fear.

From now on you will be catching man I need to explain that catching man has nothing to do with perhaps some enterprising a single young lady who attends the singles ministry. You know, there is that line that says any Meany mining mole catch a bachelor by the toe if he hollers let him any Meany mining at catching man has to do with the winning men and women to Jesus Christ and so even though it talks about catching men. It also means catching women and bringing them to a saving knowledge of Jesus in Outlook five which is going to be the passage for this morning Jesus is preaching to a large crowd of people, and as he does. He continues to go backward and backward because the crowd is pressing around him and finally he says to Simon. He said Simon let me use your boat because Jesus was at the shore of Galilee and that Christ sat in the boat and use the boat as a pulpit and actually preached from the boat to the people who were at the shore. It says it came about that while the multitude were pressing around him and listening to the word of God. He was standing by the lake of Nazareth, which is the lake or the Sea of Galilee. And he saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and they were washing their nets. They had had what sometimes is called a fisherman's bad day, and now they were putting all their gear away and he got into one of the boats which was Simons that is peters and asked him to put out a little way from the land and he sat down and began teaching the multitudes from the boat and when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Simon, put out into the deep water and let your nets down for a catch. Simon answered and said master. We worked hard all night and caught nothing at your bidding. I will let down the nets. Just that Barbara now I want to reconstruct the scene. These men had been out all night fishing and now they were putting everything away discouraged because they had caught nothing and Jesus. The teacher comes along and says now take your nets take them all back out and let them into deep water for some fish. Two reasons why the commander seemed on reasonable and senseless. First of all because it was the wrong time was the wrong time.

Any fisherman knows that you don't fish in the middle of the day you fish during the night and early in the morning and I can almost see Peter and all of his companions, thinking to themselves, and Jesus may be good at theology.

He talks as if he is really plugged into God, but he doesn't know anything about fishing this this is the wrong time.

You don't do it now.

We have fished all night and we have caught nothing.

We fished at the good time, and none bit why should they bite now. Secondly, there was another reason why this seemed to be an improbable and even foolish request. Jesus said, take your nets and let them down in the deep and once again the fishermen in the Sea of Galilee know that you don't do that. What you do is you fish near the shore.

That's where the fish are. But to Peter's everlasting credit, he says, nevertheless, and I like the King James translation here nevertheless added by word. I will let down the net, aren't these excuses that you and I use for not witnessing to people and sharing the gospel.

We say first of all, Lord. It's the wrong time that this is not the time to do it. I will wait for an appropriate time and I say to my shame that sometimes I've said that. And I have waited too long work years have gone by and it didn't seem to be quite the appropriate time. Second, we say the wrong place. It's the wrong place. Not sure I want to witness, but in the context must be absolutely correct, and to wait for that opportune moment. Now Jesus said to Peter. Peter respond to my word, and let down your nets right now. Take all your gear and put it back out in the boat and do it. Notice what happened.

I pick up the checks now in verse six and when they had done this.

They enclosed a great quantity of fish and their nets began to break and they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them, which is incidentally what is happening in Russia today are so many people that are believing on Christ that were receiving signals from the Eastern European countries saying come over and help us because the nets are breaking the harvester so great. We need others to come and to share in the bounty so they signaled to their partners and that they came and filled both of the boat so that they began to sink. Verse eight when peters saw that he fell down at Jesus feet, saying, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord, for amazement had seized him and all companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken a T Robertson in his commentary says sometimes we need to fish again.

We need to fish again where we have failed before.

We must go down deeper than we were before. But we must fish again ever thought to yourself, I could be successful.

If I did it somewhere else.

If I wasn't only in Chicago or if I were in some other area I could be successful. I want you to notice that success is really tied to the command and the obedience of Christ without his commander they caught nothing and with his command. They had to boats filled with fish net after net cast into the sea and every one of them coming up with hundreds of fish until the boats could scarcely bear them all.

Yes, sometimes we must fish again. You may be discouraged in your walk with Christ or where you are or even in your witness and I encourage you sometimes in the same place in obedience to Christ do it one more time, be obedient, but notice Peter's response. He said, apart from the Farai them a sinful man, old Lord, the Greek word for Lord is curios. It really means God.

Isn't it interesting that Peter didn't say well I just think we made $1000 in fish.

This is fantastic. This is our best day. Why is it that Peter standing there in the presence of this miracle recognized who he was.

First of all, he knew that the fish were there by divine command. It's not because the fish were there naturally because they had toiled all night during the best of time and in the best of way.

And now Jesus had spoken and they had acted in the faith and the response was so great and he recognize now that he was in the presence of God of very God and what does he do he does the same thing that every person does in the presence of the living God. He falls down and recognizes his own helplessness and the sinfulness in the presence of this Lord Jesus Christ and at the one hand pieces depart from me, for I am a sinful man, but on the other hand he is also clinging to Christ and saying, oh Christ, you are gone. A very God. Remember that blasphemous movie a few years ago called the last temptation of Christ. Martin Scorsese said this what I've tried to do is to create a Jesus who, in a sense is just like any other guy in the street in his struggle to reach God and find God. He reflects all of our struggles. I thought this would give us all hope and I want to scream and say no no thousand times no Jesus, who was like the rest of us does not give his whole blood leads us into just bear because if he is like the rest of us. He cannot save us. We need a hand to come down from heaven. That is a divine hand we need identifying the Savior, who is sinless who is God all very God. Apart from him. We are damn forever.

You know why it is that we sometimes pray about revival, but in our hearts we really don't want it. It is because when God really comes to town. And when people really begin to see the glory and the wonder of Christ, all of us then find within our hearts in excusable sin in excusable sin. We are suddenly revealed for who we really are up against the holiness of all one wrists blessed your God, and that is very uncomfortable moment is that was in that pitiful I mean here is a disciple of Jesus Christ, saying, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, old Lord, going through a lot of existential guilt answers know this is not a pitiful moment. This was Peter's finest hour of hope it's as finest hour of hope because only when we see who we are in the presence of the risen Christ. It is only then that we can finally be forgiven of our sins and we can be hearing the voice of Christ say you are forgiven, but our age does not like this. Someone sent me a cartoon which I have on my door of a pastor pointing to his congregation and saying you know what the problem with Cain was Cain's problem was low self-esteem. I can imagine someone saying you know that's why Peter did this he suffered from low self-esteem of tell you something. It is only when we are willing to finally give up all of the gameplaying and see who we are in Christ presence that we can hear him tell us where Clinton's and forgiven and belong to him. Having done that, my friend.

We have to be faithful to Jesus Christ wherever he is planted us into the church in Germany under Hitler faced a very important decision.

The question was, would they go with their nationalism with a go with the economy or would they be obedient to Jesus Christ. These are the kinds of issues I discuss in my book entitled Hitler's cross how the cross of Christ was used to promote the Nazi agenda. Many of the German Christians decided that a full stomach was more important than obedience to Christ. Now of course there were some who did stand for truth and stood for Christ and many of them died but the question is how would we have responded. What a challenge. History is for us now for a gift of any amount. This book can be yours. It's entitled Hitler's cross.

Here's what you do and I hope you have time to get a pencil so that you can write this down.

You can go to RTW offer.com. Of course RTW offer is all one word RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 and I want to thank you in advance for helping us because together you are holding our hands that we are making a difference. As we get the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as possible right now.

Pick up the phone you can call 1-888-218-9337 it's time again for another chance for you to ask pastor looks or a question you may have about the Bible or the Christian life. Today's question comes from Arizona. Dr. Blitzer and it's coming to us from Edward. He writes that Jacob and Esau birthright deal seems like superstitious nonsense. God is not obligated to honor contracts or deals by lawyers and schemers. Also, I don't believe there was a mystical birthright.

Isaac could give to whoever he wanted like you could give a piece of property. What you think. Well Edward, I'm a little surprised by your question because this is not superstition it's there in the Bible as you correctly noted and Isaac had the right to give a birthright and normally it was given to the oldest son, which in this case would've been Esau instead of Jacob but you know the whole story is not a superstitious story, nor was this a superstitious ritual. You see, the firstborn was recognized by others as having special privileges, and when Isaac gave the birthright to Jacob. This had significance among the family and among the whole business of inheritance issues know it wasn't like a piece of property, but this was instituted by God. And yes, it's true that Jacob was a schemer and he received the blessing you called him a liar. Not sure if that's exactly right.

But at any rate, sometimes God uses crooked sticks to make straight lines and if you look at the life of Isaac, and Jacob and even Rebecca who is in on the scheme I'm assuming here at this point that many of her listeners know the story you see that God is greater than the failures of human beings he had chosen this family, and he continued to use this family for his honor and glory and by the way, Edward. Aren't you glad he is a God of grace. Thank you Dr. Luther if you'd like to hear your question answered.

You can go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask pastor looks or or call at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Peter's journey of faith began when Jesus told him of fishermen how to fish. The resulting text proved that obedience to Jesus was the king next time I'm running to win. Peter learns that the power of Jesus to save men is as total as his power to draw fish into a net.

Thanks for listening for Dr. Erwin Blitzer this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the teacher