You Wouldn’t Believe My Day of Fishing….

This is certainly what the wives, mothers and family members of Peter, Andrew, James and John must have heard, at the end of their day on the water! Fish stories abound in the bible, even Jesus had a couple of good fish stories!. Some of the major players in the Gospel story, were fishermen.

Today’s scripture, started out as just another day of fishing, since these men made their living by fishing, or more accurately, by catching! Peter and his friends were using a fishing net, not a rod, reel, and line …. But what happened on their day of fishing, went far beyond making a living on the waters of Galilee. I’m right with these guys, I enjoy catching trips, far more than fishing trips!

Today we will focus our attention on Luke 5:1 “And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, (or Galilee) v:2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. v3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

v4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. v5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. v6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes, so that their net broke.v7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink".

Let’s begin with Simon’s answer to the Lord, when He interrupted their net cleaning and mending session, as they probably wondered how the bills would get paid, and the payroll would be met, since they had caught nothing at all…He said "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything”.... I had someone say to me the other day… “I think I’ve lost my get up and go. It got up, looked around, said “seriously?” and laid back down”!

Oh blessed perseverance! They had fished all night without anything to show for their time, effort, investment and preparations. They were calling it quits till another day. But Jesus interrupted their discouragement, feelings of failure and questioning if they should just find something else to do to make a living….and He encouraged them to make one more cast of the nets.

I think of Moses, who had resigned himself to being a wilderness shepherd of someone else’s sheep after leaving the pomp and luxury of Egypt. His shepherd’s staff was beginning to define him, and he was settling into a roll that he was never intended to become except on a temporary basis. Just as Moses was interrupted in his state of frustrated resignation by the voice of God, so likewise, the fishermen were interrupted by the living word made flesh, that would change their lives forever!

God always has a lot more in mind for us, than we could possibly see, know or understand, when He interrupts our lives….but so often what gets us to that place is good old fashioned perseverance.

My adopted mom, prayed for 48 years, that her atheist husband Bill, would be saved, before cancer finally brought him to a place where he realized he was not ready to go into eternity without Christ. It was like banging on a wall, until Jesus tore down the wall…

There are times, when you’re pushing against a wall, that the amount of force you use to push, is never greater than the amount of force from the wall that is pushing back against you. In order for that wall to fall down, Jesus steps up beside you, to push so hard that the structure of the wall can no longer resist the force against it and IT MUST GIVE WAY!

We all love the suddenlies but when they don’t happen, we have to often be willing to persevere over a lifetime in “walking the walk” and “talking the talk” in a Christ-like way, before we see some of our family and friends come into the kingdom. But isn’t it worth it, to be with them in heaven for all eternity, instead of being eternally separated!

Perseverance is needed when we see no results at all, because we are often chumming the waters so that others may be part of bringing in the harvest. One sows another waters and we all rejoice in the harvest. Don’t give up. God gets the glory.

In Luke 5:5 They said "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But nevertheless, because you say so, we will let down the nets."

The benefits of some things are only truly seen once the transformation has occurred. The benefits of change are often only obvious after the change has occurred. An alcoholic only truly understands the benefits of sobriety when he becomes sober. In fact, as my golf game painfully reveals, usually things get worse before they get better. Only hindsight is 20/20, and that is why we so often hear someone exclaim, “If I knew then what I know now I would’ve changed years ago.”

We have all heard the definition of insanity….. It is to do the same thing over and over and expect the results to be different. It’s referring to those who ignore the options and insist on doing the same old, same old.

The control tower at the Honolulu airport, received the following message…Pilot to tower . . . pilot to tower . . . I am 300 miles from land . . 600 feet over the water approaching the Island. . . and running out of fuel . . .please instruct! After doing some map checking and traffic flow evaluations, the Controller responded….Tower to pilot . . . tower to pilot . . .please repeat after me…. "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name . . ."

We shouldn’t have to wait till every other option has failed, before we turn to the Lord and ask for direction…..  

Jesus is waiting to bring new direction and a better outcome, but He lets us come to the place where we have run out of options before we’re willing to say “Nevertheless”….

John C. Maxwell gives us this list in order to avoid coming to that place where we have run out of options….

(1) Make a commitment to keep growing daily.

(2) Value the process of change more than events of change.

(3) Don't wait for inspiration in order to try something different.

(4) Be willing to sacrifice pleasure in order to seize opportunity.

(5) Have a dream that is bigger than where you are.

(6) Don’t neglect your current priorities as you follow your dream.

(7) There will come a time where you must give up so you can go further.”

You can always tell the depth of a Christian by what it takes to frustrate them and you can tell the level of commitment for any Christian by what it takes to stop them!!

If we wait till the risk is gone and all the conditions are just right, we will never try anything… Peter’s response to Jesus is a “Nevertheless”….

“Nevertheless” is a powerful transitional statement….and can release new direction, new ideas, and new opportunities into a situation. The power of “Nevertheless” is the dynamic of surrender. Not my will but thine be done, Oh Lord!

God uses people that fail because there really aren’t any other kind to use!

“Nevertheless” puts a bridle on fear, doubt and double mindedness and gives momentum to faith and hope by giving it the muscle and the true grit to put the peddle to the metal and move forward with new commitment.

When you hear the call to follow Jesus, as you get ready to start out, believe me friend, out of the blue, a family situation will come up, distractions will happen, your body and mind will suddenly become your enemy, pressure will always come to for you to do something else, and every roadblock that you can imagine will show up! Well, that should tell you something…..The devil doesn’t like it when we The time for a deeper level of commitment and involvement had now come.

Luke 5: 11 “Jesus said unto Simon, "Fear not, follow Me and from this time forth, you shall catch men”. God’s timing in your life is perfect, regardless of how it may seem…the place He chooses is the right place although it may not look like the right place to you. He has already anticipated your fears, and all the things that would keep you from obedience, before you begin to list them to Him. He begins His conversation with "Fear Not"..... even before He says "Follow Me"....

Martin Luther, the agent God used in the "Great Reformation" was on his way to becoming a lawyer, when in July 1505, he had a Divine interruption which resulted in a life changing experience that set him on a new course. In this timely God encounter, the ship Luther was on, was caught in a horrific storm at sea that caused him to fear for his very life. Luther cried out to God and made a vow..."Save me, and I'll become a monk!" The rest is history.

In Jesus’ intervention there comes a claim upon our lives, and in that claim, is incorporated all we will have need of. The emphasis was and still is on “Follow Me” and not what we might do as a result. His claim on us is about what we can become as we follow Him and deepen our relationship with Him. Within every claim He makes on our lives, there are Spiritual principals which contain provisions and Divinely ordained outcomes!

1 Corinthians 7:23 “All of you, were once held hostage by sin. Then Christ paid a huge sum for your ransom. So don't, out of old habits, slip back into being or doing the way others influence you. v24 Friends, stay in your calling. Hold the high ground with Him at your side”.

In this miraculous catch of fish our Lord also graciously provided a psychological release from the occupation of fishing which they were dependent upon. And Peter and his partners were given an infusion of faith to overcome their nagging fears about commencing an entirely new career. They left the greatest catch of fish, they had seen in all their lives. But the size of the catch was not as important as what it showed them about Jesus and themselves.

Someone recently was talking with me about how they accepted the scriptural doctrine of being filled with the Spirit, but they had trouble with a lot of the folks who claimed to be filled with the Spirit. They just didn’t measure up. (now I’m not saying we’ll sprout wings, but we don’t have to get a lobotomy to be filled with the Spirit either)! I told them that being filled with the Spirit, was not just about our getting more of the Spirit, but the Spirit having more of us!

Jesus was letting the disciples know that you can be with the Lord and still not be with the Lord…. I find it interesting that Peter, James and John, of the ones named as fishermen here, are the inner three of the circle of disciples, those three were privileged to witness events which the other disciples were not present or privileged to see.

nThis to a large measure, was about choosing to be in the inner or the outer circles of relationship. We can be inner circle friends or outer circle friends. Someone asked me why some Christians are more used in visions, revelation, prophecy and dreams than other Christians. And my response is the difference in those who are wanting an inner circle relationship and those who are satisfied with an outer circle relationship. Jesus had the 70, then there were the 12, and then there were the 3….

It doesn’t mean that God expects us all to operate in a certain way, like everyone else, but to be faithful wherever He calls us to be. It’s about the degree we are willing to follow Him and make ourselves available to Him. It’s about being conscious of what He’s doing and how

He’s moving in all that we are doing. In this corporate effort called “Body ministry”, each one who is called is called to their specific task.

Some cast the net; some row the boat. All are needed! And all contribute to “the catch.” We are asked to be willing to be open and flexible to the Lord as He leads us in different ways from the way we may have done it before. They worked as a team and even called on others to assist in bringing in the nets that were full. Everyone took part and everyone pulled together.

Jesus said “launch out into the deep”. Stop looking at what has happened and look at where the Lord is, in what is happening. Stop looking at the circumstances and follow Jesus in the circumstances. “Follow me”…. “Launch out into the deep”.

Peter tells us that (they had caught nothing) and Jesus was asking these fishermen to not let past failure stand in the way of present obedience and commitment.

By Peter’s answer, we see that he desires a deeper commitment, but he is struggling to sift and sort through his physical weariness and mental reasoning….. He is trying to find a balance between what has always been and what he knows deep inside the Lord is showing him how it can be….But they like ourselves, needed to learn that obedience to Jesus, cannot be based upon favorable or unfavorable circumstances, or allow circumstances to dictate their obedience.

We are tempted to be guided by our fears instead of what God has promised. The greatest obstacle that we face in life is our own fear. The fear of being inadequate, the fear of failure, the fear of looking foolish.

Ultimately it will probably mean very little if you do not overcome your fear of sky-diving, or feeding sharks or jumping motorcycles, but it is a tremendous loss if you do not overcome the fear of following Christ. What is fear keeping us from doing for God? “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible”….. And out of Peter’s mouth comes both physical reality, the sum of all his fears, as well as his spiritual desire and longing for a far greater commitment to the Lord.

Peter says “we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” By his reply he communicates that he and his partners are longing to go deeper, but there are things that are pulling and holding them back and they need something that will let them know it’s OK to let go, and go deeper than they have ever gone before! WELL, THEY ARE AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME!

Launching out into the deeper water is scary and it is less familiar but it’s where God’s deeper water blessings are to be found. If doing things your own way has left your nets empty, the Lord is speaking through your emptiness that it’s time to give God’s way a try, even if you don’t understand where, why or how it’s all going to work out.

The scriptures tell us that when the nets are brought in as Jesus commanded, they were so full that they had to call other boats to help because the catch was so large. Upon seeing this, Peter can’t fight the deeper call any longer, and he falls at Jesus feet. Listen to his words as he falls on his face before the Lord……

Luke 5:8 “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. v9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him…”

We will find that the closer we get to the Lord, the worse we will look. We might look pretty good when compared to the world around us, we may even look good compared to our friends and family, or others in the church…. But when we begin to truly see Christ and come close to His Holiness, His Glory and His power, we like Peter can only fall at His feet in humble contrition and surrender. Prepare to look your worse, in order to become your best.

It is said that either sin will keep you from God, or God will keep you from sin. When we lift Him up, he will lift us up…. When we give due honor and reverence to Him, He will bring honor to us. The Lord says to those who honor Him..

Psalm 91:14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known My name. v15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. v16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him My salvation”.

Peter knelt before Jesus, with the inner revelation that in knowing Jesus he had finally found himself, accepted the call that was on his life, and realized that his life would never be the same again! We are told that everyone’s response was one of astonishment!

They were effected so deeply, that when they brought the boats to shore, they turned everything over to those who had worked with them, and followed Jesus. The important element is that the call to walk with Jesus takes priority, so that we are prepared to be whatever or wherever or whoever God calls us to be no matter what we are doing or where we are doing it. Whether our base for reaching and transforming lives is our home, our job, our neighborhood, the beach or city park, it is the same call….to be fishers of men, transforming lives with the net of the gospel message and the reality of God’s power.

I am reminded of the farmer who told his pastor that he had a vision, and in the vision he saw a huge billboard flashing, with the letters, “P.C.” He said that it meant “Preach Christ” and he was going to sell the farm and buy a tent and be a traveling evangelist. The pastor tried to reason with him, but he was determined. After dismal failure, he returned to the pastor, unable to understand how he could have been so wrong. The pastor said, I tried to tell you, the “P.C.” you saw, meant, “Plant Corn”…

Decisions which are good ones, which are lasting ones, are those made slowly, prayerfully, and deliberately. May each of us thoughtfully consider what it means for us to be followers of Jesus Christ. There are many voices…. the flesh, the world and the devil also speak and try to get us discouraged, doubtful and defeated. But we must try the spirits, so that we can be assured that it is the Lord who is speaking to us. By two or three witnesses everything shall be established. Don’t just listen to those who will say what you want to hear, but seek those who are proven and have wisdom and maturity in the things of God.

God loves overflow….He loves those who passionately and energetically seek after Him, who aren’t satisfied until they have an overflowing experience. Just enough won’t do for them, just barely full won’t do for them.

I was at the gas station one day. A man beside me was also getting gas for his car. His pump clicked off as I was just starting to fill mine. He put in another little bit until it clicked off again. I stood there filling my tank and the whole time he was over at his car trying to get in one more drop with each click. I didn’t ask if his name was Peter. But it probably was because he definitely was going for overflow!!!!

We’ve all known Peter-type people. They are never content to just be spectators, they have to get in the middle of the action…Jesus likes those type of folks. Like Peter, they get all they can out of life. They put their all into everything they do.

So, don’t be wishing instead of fishing….And as a church we are not running a catch and release operation. We are a catch and transform operation. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 “Go and make disciples of all nations”. Jesus wasn’t on the shores of Galilee to catch fish, He was there to catch fishermen who would catch and transform the lives of men and women. He knew that He would actually bring in more fish if He could just enlist enough fishermen that were all about catching instead of getting a sun tan.

My appeal to all of us together today, is Launch out into the deep for Jesus. Open your bible with a friend, bring someone with you to bible study and church service, serve, care, give, pray….launch out into an area you haven’t tried dropping the net yet.

The boat is the vision and will of God…”Not my will but thine be done” The wind which fills the sails and moves us forward is the Holy Spirit… The net is the word of God, we are to “Preach the WORD...” and cast the net….Let us be Listening, that we may obey the Lord’s leading, as we cast the net. We are to remain flexible and willing to cast the net “on the other side” as the Lord directs.

Today, as surely as He called the fishermen centuries ago, He is calling us again, to renew our first calling, to life that will be greater than we have ever known, to our larger destiny. He is inviting us once again to join Him in a powerful mission to a lost world and to transform our world, one life at a time!

In closing, let’s conclude with our personal confession in agreement..

Lord, we receive the power from above to fulfill our divine assignment this year, in the name of Jesus. Lord, let Your healing, creative, restoring power, flow into every area that has to do with growth, increase, wholeness and reproduction. Let great deliverance and clear direction begin to take place in our lives now, as we take back everything the enemy has stolen in Jesus’ name. Anything programed into our lives to block, hinder and stop increase, growth and reproduction, be dismantled and expire today in Jesus name.

We break every curse of failure, and release the spirit of illumination and revelation to show forth and release the favor which grace brings and Your love provides. We tear down and dismantle every roadblock to our breakthrough, as the arm of the Lord, arises in our behalf. We claim unexpected income, sickness healed, deliverance realized, and the joy and freedom of the Lord, enjoyed and embraced.

Lord, correct any disorder and any dysfunction, so that every cycle of lack, debt, insufficiency, and failure in our lives, be broken away from us in the name of Jesus. Our labor shall not be profitless and every evil force working against our abilities, talents, skills, and gifts, be paralyzed and rendered powerless. We bring down and destroy every stronghold that is keeping back and hindering our blessings from coming to us and keeping back our properties and resources in Jesus name.

We take possession and claim ownership to every God given promise, and declare that every satanic instrument, connection, transaction or contract used against us be completely disorganized, canceled and destroyed, in Jesus name. We declare breakthrough concerning growth, increase and success, today in the name of Jesus. We declare that there shall be breakthrough concerning freedom and deliverance in the name of Jesus. We declare that we shall be equipped, enabled, and prepared, in Jesus name.

We dismiss and cancel out every thought, image, picture and thought of failure. We declare that there shall be no barrenness in our lives and that we are productive, and increased, in Jesus name. We cast out, evict and terminate every spirit of death, that the life of Christ may rule and reign supreme.

Let every good thing devoured by the enemy be returned 40, 60 and 100 fold, now, in the name of Jesus. Let that which hinders us from the greatness You have planned for us, begin to give way now, in the mighty name of Jesus. Let all imprisoned, misguided and misused potential begin to blossom, and come forth now, in the name of Jesus. We dismantle every assignment against our homes and rip out every board and nail that Satan has tried to insert, that our children and their children to ten generations shall be free from the curse.

We declare that the garments of reproach are removed, so that favor and honor may come. We declare that we shall no longer sow but not reap the harvest in the name of Jesus. We declare that we shall no longer reap but not enjoy the fruits of our labor, in the name of Jesus.

We declare that we shall not be subject to the power of the emptier, in the mighty name of Jesus. We declare that we shall not be prey to the wasters and robbers of the harvest, in the name of Jesus.

We release ourselves from the bondage of leaky pockets, that allow the blessing to be lost, in the name of Jesus. We release ourselves from the power of slippery blessings, in the name of Jesus. Lord, grant unto us the power to retain, maintain and safely deliver the harvest, in Jesus name.

We declare that we are no longer the tail, but the head, no longer beneath, but above, for we take our rightful place as power changes hands in every area of our lives, and signs, wonders and miracles begin to abound. We receive your mandate to break the power of every curse and we thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving us the victory for your glory and honor. Amen!