Fishing Lessons From a Carpenter

Though Peter collapses at the knees of Jesus were Jesus is seated realization of what this miracle mean that Simon the first person of the gospel To address Jesus as Lord, I am a sinful man all our earlier title of respect earlier this jury's directly impact their ministry today. Teacher Stephen Devi will explore the mindset of Peter as he was challenged by God and tested by God. He ultimately took a leap of faith. This is wisdom for the heart, and today you'll see how your calling is higher than anything you can understand and that God wants to use you in ways you cannot imagine. Stay with us read the accounts now something urban legend regarding concert one evening by Poland's most famous concert concert pianist and Prime Minister Ignace Paderewski more than 100 years ago.

The concert hall was packed with standing room only.

Everyone was filled with a sense of anticipation and excitement. One young mother had purchased tickets and brought her young son in order to encourage him as he had only recently begun piano lessons. They found a seat near the front. This young boy was caught by everything including that massive grand piano on stage. Soon other mother found a friend to talk to and I noticed he slipped out of his seat and suddenly the crowd was arrested by the sound of that. He looked up and saw this young boy seated on the bench innocently picking out twinkle twinkle little star, a gas.

Some began laughing several rather irritated me a shout from to get off that grand piano before his embarrassed mother. You can only imagine to find the stairs. Pederasty heard the commotion realize what was happening and quickly walked out on stage, moving toward the boy instead of doing what they expected, shuffling him away.

He whispered don't stop playing.

He leaned over, reached down with his left hand began filling it up as part his right arm reached around the boy, circling him, adding running up legato together beautifully.

The old concertmaster and the little boy help the crowd mesmerize although I pederasty whispered don't stop, don't quit keep playing, and after a couple of times through that little song.

They ended to a standing ovation. One of the first lessons. The early disciples are going to learn is to offer the Lord what little they have. Even if it's twinkle twinkle little star if I one of the first commands of the Messiah and those working to follow him are, essentially, don't quit, don't stop. It might not be much but I'll join you and together your little efforts in my sovereignty will accomplish much. The lesson doesn't take place in a concert hall of course or the synagogue but on the Sea of Galilee. Let's watch a take place were now in chapter 5 in Luke's gospel and I want you to notice just the first phrase will take it slowly. The text opens on one occasion we don't know. By the way, how much time alas between the last verse of chapter 4. This verse could be weeks along more than likely. On one occasion while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, not stock you might want to circle that expression the word of God and draw a line down as I have verse five at your word.

This is the emphasis of this account, the word of God and the theme in our singing. Today, the word of God.

Luke's favorite expressions. By the way you use it 17 times in his two volume series the gospel of Luke and the book of acts, which is volume 2. This is the foundation of the church. This is the source of the authority of the church and every Christian to this day. We believe we follow. We preach we teach we obey the word of God.

Jesus is is modeling the role of true preaching here is about that demonstrated the authority of God's word is also word it in a moment. Now, at this point, Jesus is literally being pressed by the crowd, to the point of potentially being backed into the way he's either going to get wet or is going to have to walk on water more than once here is another solution. Verse one was standing by the lake of masonry.

Another word for the Sea of Galilee.

Another term, any any saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats which was Simon's. He asked him to put out a little from the land. This will be his pulpit and he sat down and talk to people from the boat now from other gospel accounts Jesus is already met Simon Peter Mark chapter 1 peters already seen Jesus performed miracles is amazed at the power of Jesus.

He has been officially called to follow it happen later, but at this point Simon hasn't even connected all the dots yet.

That's going to happen over time after pushing his boat back out a few feet from the lake.

He sees rinsing out is that listening to Jesus, by the way, still in the boat with the Lord next to him still on short draw up on shore are his business partners. That's the word used later in verse 10. These are his business partners in this fishing enterprise.

James and his brother John, and by the way, this is a matter later on here this morning, but the work for nets here are our reference to the large nets used for nighttime fishing not daytime fishing nighttime fishing, but they just completed no now once again here were not given the Lord's sermon notes were not given his transcript.

We don't have any idea of his exposition on which we were given it. It would probably change the way I preach if I just had a listen to it. But anyway, were not given any of that which is now here he preached the word of God. Some Old Testament texts and he opened it up, but given his sermon, we are given his his closing point of application season just to preach the word he's going to show us the power of his word. Comes in verse four and when he finished speaking, he said to Simon put out the deep and let down your nets for a catch.

The first commandment put out singularities delivering this to Simon. Simon evidently steering the boat, he probably always steers the boat.

The second commandment let down your nets is plural.

It indicates authors are on board were not told who they are and Andrew.

More than likely his brother. Maybe some other hired hands are there. Jesus finishes is how long it lasted.

Evidently he wants fish for dinner. Simon, you know, let's go fishing fishing. Steer this boat out into the D. Don't miss what this command means by the way Simon take us back out to where you just spent all night catching nothing no fisherman's gonna do that. It's obvious to Simon. Now that the carpenters trying to get fishing license. Jesus obviously didn't know much about fishing is evidently good with a hammer and as a healer preacher… Not a very good fisherman so he response to Jesus's command to let down the message verse five. And Simon answered while biting his tongue between the lines master that the title of respect, we toil all night and took nothing.

We were out here all night, all last night and we caught nothing. How hard is it for fishermen to admit that we caught nothing noticed but at your word. I will let down the nets. For a moment.

Don't misunderstand this word is preached and taught.

This is what great statement of faith. It really isn't.

This is a statement of faith. This is what you can actually call a lot obedience peters thinking to himself because he knew he knew more than Jesus knew that this is the wrong time of day the signal were why I gotta tell you, this is at least to be commended for dropping the next right. Please if you do that much at least is then applied a little song so the nets are lowered into the D probably no more than 30 to 40 feet from the seashore. Now notice verse six and when they crew with him had done this, then close the large number of fish in their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them and they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink them immediately.

You can imagine here the chaos don't reluctantly drop the next into the water and instantly swarms of fish literally swim into their nets and make them so tightly they begin to tear and so they were told signal to James and John, which means they screamed at the top of their own to come help us notice verse eight when Simon Peter saw it, that is after taking it all in. He fell down at Jesus's knees, saying, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, oh Lord, I doubted I didn't deserve this. I had wrong thoughts about you that fortunately are not recorded in Scripture. I don't deserve to be in the same boat.

So right there on the boat. Peter collapses at the knees of Jesus were Jesus is seated with the realization of what this miracle mean and in fact Simon Peter becomes the first person of the gospel To address Jesus as Lord.

Notice, I am a sinful man all or it was passed earlier.

The title of respect earlier. Now it's trade-offs calling him Lord, along with battling before it is a recognition of the sovereignty of Christ Jesus response to Simon in the middle of verse 10. Here, do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.

Mark's gospel puts it, you be fishers of men.

And when they had brought their boats to land. They quickly added Jesus to their fishing business and fishing was never the same again. Oh wait, that's what I would've done man.

He talked about a fisherman add to your boat know they left everything catch of their lives and followed.

This is the beginning the formal discipleship as followers of the Lord for Simon, James and John there leaving their boats the greatest cat that this is the this is the greatest fish story of all time's a little turn on this phrase catching catching fish is usually fatal fish bad news for fish.

Jesus uses the idea fishing. Nobody turns it to refer to catching people, all that is to give them life. The idea that this is by the way, in contrast to the fishing enterprise of Satan.

He's a fisherman to the traps people and trapping them lower than catching them.

Second Timothy 226 people caught by Satan are destined to die without hope. Those caught by the disciples are destined to live and have life eternal. The idea I want you to catch people within that of the gospel known to spend little time highlighting some lessons on fishing taught by this master carpenter who is also the creator. First of all, catching nothing all night was as much a part of God's plan is catching a boatload.

The next day she don't overlook the fact that for Peter, James and John catching nothing was as much a part of God's will is catching a nest for God. God wanted them to spend the previous night without catching anything that that was his plan.

Can you can you just imagine that night in a sunfish swimming near the net God's going. Don't go in turnaround their fishing against God's power. Jesus is going to take Simon Peter back to the place where he failed all night long in order to show him that he had not was actually God's plan for him to catching nothing to remind my Peter and James and John, and he was believers and myself to stay faithful this to drop in that so I can do it comes up empty.

It is just as much a statement of success in the eyes of God is and that is suddenly over allowing we define success and failure, according to what we can see God's working at ways we cannot see week we get so caught up. Did you see that you hear that. Secondly, God often takes us to places where we are confident to remind us how much we are truly depend.

I love the fact that the Lord took Peter back out to the place where Peter knew everything he knew what he was doing. Peter spent hours anything done everything right. The Lord is essentially teaching Peter, James and John, you and me. Why why is that one day they will tax people alive and will have nothing to do with the right expertise for the right experience of the right time of day or the right kind and that it will be the result of his will and his word. We wrote God's word does the rest a few years after this event was to happen. Peters getting it out there on the porch of the Temple and preach the opening sermon of the church age. On the day of Pentecost. We do have that sermon the spirit said the churches created somebody interactively preach that that day, they will want us one of delivery 3000 people believe what I said on. It wasn't that sermon, it wasn't me. Yeah I did my part. I dropped them that it was the power and the authority of the word and the will of God. Third, God's call for disciples may not change your profession in life, but it will rearrange your priority in life.

The verb tense Lord uses here for these men to start catching people alive indicates this is going to be an ongoing, lifelong engagement. This is a going to be like fishing season or hunting season where, for those of you that do that, and I'm happy for you when you do that you get your license you bag your quota and your finished for the year.

The f-stop that one of my students this past fall here Shepherd seminary lives in the Northwest is zooming in to take my class and he asked permission if he could miss class one week because felt season was opening Nina's family to live off that me the winter never had a student asked to be dismissed from class to go hunt elk, but I did.

I agree yet a brief window of opportunity for Peter and these men are not fishing for season. The idea here is going fishing for people as a vocation to change the direction of their lives. This season of fishing will will not end until the Lord takes them home and for some of them we we know John will end up in in in Ephesus and in Thomasville, India, and Matthew will go to Ethiopia and Andrew will will fish right there into the borders of Russia. To this day the Lord's commission might mean for some to leave their boats in their and their businesses and their extended family and and had out of the will we call the locational ministry affect our church leaders are are praying that that many in our own congregation will do just that. But maybe you will be the one to join others to take them that the gospel to some other land.

However, the Lord's commission isn't just vocational it's Congregational's for all involved. All of us.

It might not mean you change your profession does mean you live with a different kind of priority with a live with that sense. One more lesson from the carpenter on the subject fishing for some time special surprises in life are hidden behind doorways labeled simple obedience. The look all that magnificent doesn't seem all that heroic like plain little tune on the piano while others can play better than you. Then the master comes along and what is he doing encircles you and ends up using what little you offer and composes this eternally design the composition Peter what you gotta do this slowly about me lower your nets out of the boat to slow your nets. That's it.

Just drop your net over the side of the boat that the net that will not catch fish in the daytime the wrong net just drop it over the vice president of a missions organization which I can't remember which organization it was to remember the testimony he gave about 70-year-old woman who came to faith in Christ late in life see that God was impressing her heart to try to do something to reach out to students at the University of Melbourne in her home just a few blocks away so she got a stack of cards through the five cards and wrote on those cards.

These words quote are you homesick, come to my home for tea at 4 PM she doing posted them on the announcement board to the job boards were students for you would gather to check out the opportunities, whether in the University are you homesick, come to my home at 4 PM for tea. She went home prepared tea and when 4 o'clock arrived. She sat in her living room waited and waited and nobody came. Days went by weeks went by. Nobody came. She didn't quit. She kept making tea every afternoon for praying and waiting. Then after weeks of waiting, the doorbell rang and Indonesian students stood there at the door rather awkwardly wondering if you made the right decision. She answered the door when he saw her he just merely relaxed and came in.

He admitted to her that he was homesick and he was eager to talk and she served tea listen they went back to campus that evening and told his friends say I met a really nice lady who is a lot like my grandmother. She has some good things to eat and makes a pretty good tea and he brought a few back a few days later. In a few weeks.

More international students were showing up at her door some homesick all of them thirsty for something more than tea required testimony brought many of the faith in Christ and during what ended up being the final 10 years of her life. She caught many of them for life. When she died just past the age of 80. Her funeral nearly shut down the University. There were 70 honorary pallbearers alone.

Countries like Indonesia, India, Malaysia, many more hundreds of international students come to her home for a found her creator, the Messiah, this carpenter, this master fisherman. By the way, caught caught you and we as a congregation join him in doing what little and dropping arguments catch others every last life. I'm so glad you were with us today on system with Stephen Devi. Stephen is working through a series called the ministry begins. Today's message is entitled fishing lessons from a carpenter, I shared some time sensitive information yesterday and I want to repeat that again today in case you didn't have time to respond. Stephen is the pastor of the shepherd's church in Cary, North Carolina this coming Sunday is the 35th anniversary of Stephen launching and leaving that church. I think it would be encouraging for Stephen to hear from you if you'd like to send him a note of encouragement or congratulations we have two ways to receive it from our email address is info@wisdomonline.org once again that email address is info@wisdomonline.org our mailing address is wisdom for the heart PO Box 37297, Raleigh, NC 27627. Thanks again for joining us. Be with us next time. For more wisdom for the heart