Amen. That's good singing.
I'd ask you, please, to open your New Testaments to Luke's
Gospel on the chapter #5 please, Luke's gospel, chapter 5.
I want to read from that opening verse a portion that may be
familiar to many, but perhaps not all.
We hope to bring the thoughts that are contained therein to
you today by way of challenge, because I'll tell you what, I'm
going to let you into a little secret.
They're a challenge to my heart. The 1st 11 verses we're going to
read of chapter 5 of Luke's gospel.
And what a challenge they were in that day, and they echo down
through time to us today as well.
This is the beginning of the Saviour's ministry.
That fact is evident. We've only just reached chapter
5. We're not in the big numbers.
We're just starting the the ministry of the Saviour here.
Luke chapter 5. I trust you find the place.
It's good to hear the rustle of the pages of Scripture.
But chapter 5 opens with those little words there, that little
line, the IT really is a Hebrewism.
It comes in from the Hebrew of the Old Testament.
It's one word in the Hebrew. It's these multiple words in the
English, 5 words. And it came to pass.
I love to stop every time I come across that little phrase
because it reminds me that what we have here in those scriptures
of truth actually happened. This is a historically accurate
document. These things actually happened.
Therefore, I want you, you know, it's easy sometimes to allow
you, the Word of God, just to go over our heads and not let it
sink in. But I want you to imagine you
were a fly on the wall that day, that you were actually there
witnessing all these events because this really is a mighty
story and it came to pass. Look at what we were told
actually in that first verse of Luke chapter 5, the hunger that
there was for the Word of God back in that day, the Lord
Himself, the Word Incarnate, stood in the very midst, and
there was a hunger for that Word.
And it came to pass that as the people pressed upon Him, that is
of course none other than Christ pressed upon him to hear the
word of God, he stood by the Lake of Genesarat.
Now imagine the scene that's painted here.
He stood by the Lake of Genesarat.
Now the people were pressing upon him.
There were so many people pressing and jostling to where
he was that maybe those that were 5 or 10 or 20 year olds
back couldn't either see him properly or hear him properly.
That's the scene that's painted here.
He stood by the Lake of Genesarat.
Verse 2 tells us of how he saw two ships standing by the lake,
but the fishermen were gone out of them.
Because the detail were given here even in such few words.
He tossed. He saw two ships standing by the
lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them and were
washing their Nets. What's the picture here of a
finished work? They had completed their work
that day and he entered into one of the ships which was Simon's.
I saw in the features so heavily in the in the Gospels, Simon
Peter, the one who was in the inner circle later on in
Christ's ministry right through it to the end.
This was Simon's ship entrepreneur.
This wasn't the first time this ever had met this man.
In fact, He had already, the previous chapter tells us of how
he had already been in his house.
Now verse 38, look at verse 38 of chapter 4.
We'll read that detail that's given there.
And he, that is Christ arose out of the synagogue.
It's wonderful how whenever the Lord visited, there's so many
rabbit trails we could go down here, but whenever the Lord
visited any area or any spot, the 1st place He went to was the
synagogue. That's what the previous words
tell us and it tells us some of the things that he said and if
the reaction that he got. But now in verse 38, He arose
out of the synagogue and entered into Simon's house.
Now we're not freshly told here that Simon was at home that day,
but it wouldn't be a stretch to say that we just can't be
dogmatic where Scripture isn't. I believe that Simon was there
that day. I believe the Lord Jesus Christ
had already been introduced to Simon on that earlier occasion.
In verse 38. He arose out of the synagogue
and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was
taken with a great fever, and they besought him for her and
worried there of how he stood over her and rebuked the fever.
And miraculously that fever left her and she arose and ministered
or served or helped unto them as she would have done if she
wasn't sick. The Lord blessed in a mighty way
and Simon in Peter's home already.
But here we'll have something different.
I can say with some degree of certainty that the Saviour and
Simon Peter had already met. But now in verse 3, there's
something different. There's another level that's
called for. And let that be the challenge to
each of us today. Don't be just content with
having met the Saviour. There's another level called
for. Verse 3 tells us something off
that level. And he entered into one of the
ships which was Simon's. Now he was asking a small thing
here, but let's go through this and look at it in detail.
He entered into one of the ships which was Simon's and prayed him
that he would thrust out a little from the land.
I love the way the words are framed here.
Do you see the scene that's set the Saviour standing there on
the on the shore of the lake of Genesarat.
The people were pressing upon him.
The previous chapter tells us that he was in the synagogue,
that he'd got a reaction, positive and negative reaction
from all the people. Now they were pressing in upon
him and he wasn't effectively able to address them all.
That's why he entered into Simon Peters ship and the simple
ordinary request that he would thrust out a little from the
land and look at the way that verse closes and and he sat
down. The Saviour sat down and taught
the people out of the ship. It's not a beautiful
illustration that's given there. Can you imagine that scene in
your mind's eye? He had maybe a short distance
off the shore. He had cast off a short distance
off the shore, maybe from here to the church gate, maybe late,
and then the Lord Jesus Christ sat down and ministered on to
the people who at this point now, because of the scene that
was settling the front row, were held back off them a bit.
They were all there gathered on the shore, listening and
watching, hearing every word that would fall from the
Saviour's lips. What a beautiful word picture.
But let me say this, not one word from that sermon that day
is recorded for us by Luke, the writer of this gospel.
Isn't that interesting? In fact, out of the four Gospel
accounts, we've got Matthew, Mark looked at the three
synoptics and then John's Gospel as well.
Look out of all those Gospel writers was the one.
Luke was a physician. He was a scientist.
He had that scientific type mind.
And very often in Luke's gospels and Luke's Gospel, in the
records that are given in it, we have more detail given in Luke's
Gospel than any of the others. And not even at that, not one
single word was recorded concerning what the Saviour said
to all those people as they were gathered.
What was recorded, this ought to be a challenge to each and every
heart today, whenever I say this, each and every individual
heart today, because what the Saviour did say and what the
focus of my message today are these, the central thought and
these first 11 verses of Luke chapter 5 is this.
It is what the Lord Jesus Christ ministered and challenged and
spoke to one man, one man, and that's Simon Peter.
Is that not an interesting thought?
Is that not something that would challenge us?
Let me say this because this is important.
In fact, look at me when I do say this, because the attack of
the devil today is upon us, is upon individuals.
The devil will tell you, the devil will tell me that we do
not matter as an individual. In fact, that's what society
teaches us, that it's the crowds, the masses, the big
numbers, individuals. What can an individual do?
Well, let me tell you, with God, the individual can move
mountains, can turn nations upside down.
You look at how these men were used as individuals, how this
man Simon Peter was using his future ministry from this point
forward. But it started off that day.
He thrust out a little from the land, sat down, taught the
people out of the ship. We've really only got to verse
3. Let's read on.
I want to read those first 11 verses, want to think about in
depth something that's given to us through these 11 verses.
Now you look at what we read in from verse 4 and onwards.
Remember, not one single word that was recorded that was given
to the masses that day, to the to the multitudes who pressed
upon him that day is recorded. But now we come to verse 4,
where the whole scene takes a very different tone.
And now when he had left speaking, when he had finished
addressing the multitudes, that means when he had left speaking,
he turned his attention now to Simon Peter.
He said, on to Simon. Launch out into the deep and let
down your Nets for a draft. Initially at least, that's all
he said to Simon Peter. Launch out into the deep and let
down your Nets for a draft on Simon.
Look at verse 5. Simon did exactly what he was
commanded. He was happy to obey the Lord.
No, that's not what we read. Unfortunately, that is not what
we read. The title of my message today is
very simply this and it comes from this thought from verse 5
and onwards. Half hearted service for the
Master. Is there a challenge there to us
today? I'll tell you what, there's a
challenge to me how many times I hold back, how many times I act
like as if I know better. Of course, knowing all the way
that he is the omniscient one, that means the one who knows all
things. He is the omnipotent one, which
means he is all powerful. And yet we act like as if we
know better. Simon Peter did that.
Let's look at what the Scriptures reveal after that
command is given. Launch out into the deep and let
down your net for a draft. Verse 5.
And it should really say, but I don't want to allude confidence
in the Authorised Version. The translator's got it right
here. That word in the Greek, it's the
very simple word, just two letters in it, DE, the word D.
Very often it's translated as and, and rightly so, but just as
often it's translated as. But because this really is a
contrast. The Saviour had blessed this man
by his preaching. He would have been there, He
would have heard every word that was given to the multitudes, to
the many. He had heard.
He no doubt had understood, and we're going to prove that later
on that he had understood the command that was given.
But Simon answering, or an Simon answering, said unto him that he
started off right. Look at Simon Peter's response
there in verse 5. He started off right, Master.
Not lovely. I think we know all the right
words and terms and phrases. We can put together things and
the way they should sound, right Master?
And then the excuses started to roll off his tongue.
Master, we have toiled. That's not just a word that says
worked, but that is worked hard to the point of of exhaustion.
We have toiled all the night and have taken nothing.
Nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net.
There's a tone of defeatism in this answer that he gave the
Saviour that day. Nevertheless, art thy word, I
will let down the net. And look at verse 5, or look at
verse 6 how it runs from verse 5.
And when they had this done, now they obviously did it.
They are. He didn't just say he was going
to do it, He actually did do it. And when they had this done,
they enclosed a great multitude of fishes.
And look at the evidences given at the end of verse 6 and their
net break and they beckoned under their partners which were
in the other ship. Remember we were told there in
verse 2, the head of verse 2 that there were two ships
standing by the lake. One of them was Simon's.
That's the one that Saviours focus was on initially.
But now they were beckoning onto the other ship that they should
come and help them. And they came and fell both the
ships, so that they plural both of the ships.
They began to sink. Such is the blessing of Almighty
God. Folks.
Do we realise that what is in the the power of God's hand to
give us that day? The penny dropped for Simon
Peter and these two proves that penny dropped for them.
Just how powerful an individual was in their midst of something.
The fact that something was so now Simon Peter had always
already witnessed the miracle done by the Saviour in the
previous chapter, verse 38. We've read those verses of how
the Lord entered into Simon Peter's house and healed his
mother-in-law in a miraculous way, in an immediate way, and
now it was happening again. But what do we read here in
verse 8? Do we read that Simon Peter
rejoiced and that he thanked God for all that he had done and
rejoiced in what the future might hold?
In verse 8 we find that this man, his sin uncovered.
Look at what how he reacted. That was all given by his
reaction when Simon Peter saw it.
He fell down on Jesus knees saying depart from me for I am a
sinful man O Lord. That was his prayer.
We could say that he would just in a similar situation in our
own sort of vernacular that would just wish the ground would
open up and swallow us whole. That's where Simon Peter was
that day he pleaded with God to depart from him.
You know there's times when her sin will feel like that.
Remember the title of her message today.
It is half hearted service for the Master.
He was uncovered that day. His sin was found out that day
in that instant. Depart from me, for I'm a sinful
man, O Lord. For he was astonished.
And all that were with them at the draft of the fishes which
they had taken. And so also, so also was or so
was also James and John, the sons of Zebedee that were
partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon.
Again, though there were there were others involved here, but
the Saviours attention, his focus, his words, his command,
his instruction, his encouragement now in this verse
was focused upon this individual Simon Peter, one man to be that
there's one man, one woman, one young person in the gathering
listening, watching along online today that the Lord has already
put his finger on you, on your life, challenge you about
something as he challenged Simon Peter that day.
Could it be as we know because we have the completed Canon of
Scripture, how God used this man in future days, but I believe
that's the very day that it started and commenced.
That's the day that he challenged and humbled and and
brought him into service that day.
They others were there, James John Psalms of Zebedee, which
were partners with Simon and Jesus.
Look at halfway down verse 10. We haven't even finished reading
verse 10 yet. And Jesus said unto Simon, Now
remember verse 8, He had already pleaded with the Lord to depart
from him because of a sin. He had wanted to be left alone
and Stew in his sin. But what did Jesus do in verse
10? He spoke to him.
Jesus said unto him, Simon, fear not, from henceforth thou shalt
catch man. That word from the Master, that
word from the Saviour, made all the difference when they had
brought their ships to land. Verse 11 tells us to closeout
this portion before we go on to the next.
And when they had brought their ships to land, they first shook
all, and followed him. Amen.
We do pray that the Lord Himself may bless us even but the
reading and the giving of the sense, the reading, the precious
inerrant word of God, let us still our hearts before we come
to dissect these verses, open them up, exegete them in God's
house today. Let us pray that the Lord
Himself might speak through His precious Word.
Father, we do thank Thee for Thy precious Word, even read to our
hearts this morning. Pray that they would encourage,
that they would bless, that they would challenge, that they would
speak, dear Lord, speak in a tangible way.
Speak in a way, Lord, that would not be forgotten by the final
Amen of the meeting, but a word that would follow us home, a
word that would challenge us throughout our Christian lives
and our Christian walks. It is for Thy glory, and it is
for Thy glory alone. We pray in thy precious name.
We do ask, Amen. We've mentioned already, because
we're only in chapter 5 of Luke's Gospel, that the Lord
Jesus Christ had only just effectively begun His earthly
ministry, had just been revealed to his home people there, to the
people in Israel. It's pretty evident as we've
only just reached this 5th chapter yet and we would have to
admit it. What a stir the Lord Jesus
Christ was making from the people amongst the people right
from the very off. What a stir.
Look at how we read in chapter 5 verse one.
And we did highlight these words through the reading of how the
people pressed upon him to hear the word of God.
In fact, we'd have to admit that the Lord had already created a
stir long before that. Think of how in Luke chapter 1,
even before his birth, of how that prophecy that came to the
by the Angel to Mary must have sent shock waves around their
respective families. Think about how even in Luke
chapter 2 of the birth of Christ in the stable on his early
years. Think about that occasion,
actually, whenever the, the, the, the whole family went to
Jerusalem to the temple for their annual pilgrimage to
worship in the temple and parrons.
And of how they were all on their way back and they noticed
that the Saviour wasn't there, that the Lord Jesus Christ was
missing from the ranks. Just a young lad, just maybe six
or seven years of age, and he wasn't there.
And of how his mother and stepfather are supposed to put
it accurately. Mary and Joseph had rushed back
and they had searched everywhere.
And where did they find him? To find him right in the middle
of the temple, asking questions and answering questions, no
doubt in a way that showed his knowledge to the doctors of the
law. Oh, he created a stir long
before that. Think of how even in Luke
chapter 3 of his baptism, that public baptism by John.
Think of how even in that account of how the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost were there that day, the Holy Trinity
were employed that day. Think of the very next chapter,
the one preceding this one of His temptation in the 1st 13
verses, and of how from verse 18 on down toward the end of how he
began to preach. And remember, never man speak
like this man. Didn't his very enemies admit
that? Remember how later on in his
earthy ministry of how his enemies had commissioned
individuals to go out and entrap him in his words?
And they came back, the very enemies come back with that
report. Never man speak like this man.
They knew there was something different about the Saviour.
Think how even in John chapter 3 about Nicodemus, the ruler of
the Jews, think of how he visited the Saviour went under
the cover of darkness at night and spoke to him and he said
words to the fact that he knew he was no mere man, no man.
I'm speaking from Mariner memory here.
No man can do these miracles that thou dost except God be
with them. He was sitting that day in the
very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, not just the Lord Jesus
Christ, but the Son of God and God the Son.
This man, this God man was creating a stir absolutely
everywhere he went and even from the earliest of days, even from
what we read there in chapter 4, the some of the closing words
from his addresses there, we see how he even divided the people.
There were some that loved him and followed him and did so into
chapter 5 and stood by the lakeside that day hanging on
every word. And yet there were those in the
temple and Viro are entering the synagogue who heeded everything
that he said and stood for. Look at what we read in verse 22
of chapter 4. It tells us there that the
religious leaders all took note of them.
No, no, no, it tells us there that the young and the simple
took note of him. No, no, look at the second word
of Luke chapter 4, verse 22. I love to hide.
I'm a simple sort of a preacher. I like to highlight the small
words, the words that we easily skip over.
What does it tell us there? And and Luke 4 verse 22 and all
bear Him witness and wondered at the gracious words that
proceeded out of his mouth. And they said that they all said
that's what that means. They all said no doubt was
shock, no doubt was surprise. It's not this Joseph's son.
In fact, in many ways, us the way Peter began off by treating
the Saviour look as if he knew better.
Peter was the expert. Peter was the man that knew the
ocean, knew the boat, knew what? After all, he was the one that
was toiling all night. And this man was bought Joseph's
on a carpenter's son. What would he know about the
ocean, He who spake it into being, He who formed the world's
by the word of his power? Oh yes, even from the earliest
of days he was making a stir everywhere he went.
Well, that's really the background to what we come to
here in our reading in Luke chapter 5.
But in Luke chapter 5, these first 11 verses, I want to bring
out this thought of how this man Peter was prepared to give but
half hearted service to the Master.
And I'll tell you what, that's a challenge to me.
Before I come and preach to any congregation, whether it be here
anywhere else, I preach first of all to myself.
And I'll tell you what, this is a challenge to me.
What am I doing for the Lord? In fact, let's ask.
Really, this whole passage centres not upon what we're
doing, but it centres upon that thought of what we're holding
back. What are we not doing?
You see, we're very quick. I believe in this, this
denomination especially. We're very quick to point the
finger at what others are doing that they shouldn't be doing.
Now there's a place for that. There's a place for protest.
There's a place for highlighting those things that people are
doing and and denominations are doing and nations are doing and
all the rest of it that they should not be doing.
But there's two sides to that coin.
In fact, I probably have here a copy of the Westminster
Confession and the Shorter Catechism because there's a
question here that asks, I think it's #14 in the Shorter
Catechism, it's a question that asks what is sin?
And the answer is given Sin is any want of conformity onto or
transgression of the law of God. Either it is question #14 what
is sin? Sin is 2 things.
You see 2 two sides to the coin. That is sin.
Sin is any want of conformity unto our transgression of the
law of God. What does that mean in real
terms? What's the preacher talking
about? I'll tell you exactly what it
means. There's doing what we shouldn't
be doing. Yes, that is sin.
Very clearly. That is sin that needs to be
highlighted, that needs to be stamped out.
But there's that whole other side that sometimes we miss, and
that is, look at me when I say this.
That is not doing what we ought to be doing.
The whole other side of that coin, that is sin.
If you've any coin in your pocket, there's a head and
there's a tail. So it is with sin.
That's with this whole chapter. That's with these verses, 9 or
11 verses speak to, and that is not doing what we ought to be
doing. Oh, it causes my heart to sink
sometimes whenever I listen to and watch people that are so
careful and so scared of doing the wrong thing or saying the
wrong thing or supporting the wrong thing.
And then that individual ends up doing nothing in case somebody
points the finger. Well, that's what this is all
about. This is all about not doing and
not going the extra mile and not giving and offering full service
and full surrender to the Master.
It's about failure to act whenever we ought to.
And that's exactly what same and Peter did that day and his half
hearted service for the master. There's nothing that he did that
day, actively did that day that you could point the finger at,
but rather it was all the other side of that coin where He
didn't step out in faith, where He didn't obey, where he feel
deceived in that way. I want you to think about what
the Saviour command at Simon Peter that day.
It was a very, very simple command.
Christ did not actually say much.
We've already mentioned this today, but Christ did not
actually say much. That's recorded for us in this
passage. In fact, we could say this and
we really do mean this. Precious little was said by the
Saviour. In fact, in this entire portion
of 11 verses, in this entire portion in the English, we only
read 21 words that were spoken by the Lord directly.
But think about this, every single one of those words were
addressed to Simon Peter as an individual, Simon Peter as a
person. Or it humbles me whenever I
search the scriptures, especially the Gospels where the
saviours concerned, and very often the focus is on the
individual. I've mentioned already
Nicodemus, John chapter 3 and in that I don't want to say too
much because I'll probably go to the that passage tonight and
preach the gospel message from it.
But I'll say this, that in that passage of Scripture, we have
the Gospel in a nutshell. And John chapter 3, verse 16,
what wonderful words they are. They're the most probably the
most famous words in in the whole of Scripture.
And yet they weren't given to the biggest crowds.
They weren't given to the crowd that preceded the feeding of the
5000. For example, were up to maybe 12
or 14,000 people would have been hanging upon his every word as
they sat in the hillside that day.
They weren't given to the feeding of the 4000.
That's one of the other miracles that's recorded for us when many
thousands were hanging on his every word.
They weren't given there to the Sermon on the Mount as they're
recorded for us there in the first in three chapters that
spawned 3 whole chapters in the early chapters of Matthew.
No, they were given to an individual and can I say this
again, at birds repetition, that is how important the individual
is to God. I think there's something we
learned through COVID, that whole sitting on our own and
that whole isolation and the things that come out of I come
out of COVID and the side effects and the repercussions of
all that isolation shows us that we need to be around people.
And very often the devil used that isolation and still does
use that isolation to tell you. Maybe you're sitting at home on
your own to tell you and to try to convince you and try to sell
that lie to you that you on your own do not matter.
Scripture convinces me of the exact opposite of that, some of
the choices saying some of the most tender ways that the
Saviour deals with anyone right across the the ministry that's
recorded for us in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John's Gospel as
well are given to an individual. And so it is here in this
passage. Every single word that the Lord
used that day was addressed to Simon Peter.
Is that not a challenge to you as it is to me?
21 words recorded by the Lord directly here on every single
one of those were 21 words in the English seven.
I've checked us in my Greek New Testament, 17 words in the
original language that was used that day.
Every single one of those words were pointed and sharpened and
applied to Peter. But I want you to think about
the command that was given that day, because in those words, and
it was given on 2 verses, verse 4 and verse 10.
But look at verse four. First of all, when he left
speaking, he said unto Simon. Now look at what he said.
Very, very few words. But there was so much in it.
In fact, I'm going to put it to you this morning that he asked
him to do. Let's count them 123 things.
Do you see there? Look verse 4.
Maybe you can't see three. Maybe the third one isn't, is
obvious. Let's look at them together.
He asked them to do 3 very simple things that day.
In fact, He commanded him to do 3 very simple things that day.
We know whenever the Lord commands us to do something, are
we willing to do it? There's the challenge.
What did he say to him? Look at verse 4 And he's And he,
when he left speaking, he said unto Simon, this individual,
there were others there, but he said unto Simon, launch out into
the deep and let down your Nets for a draft. 3 very simple
things. You see where he was was in
shallow water and that place, that time, that rule called for
that. Well, I hope we've painted the
scene accurately enough to suggest that he was in the right
place at the right time. But the server had asked him to
go earlier on there. Where is it there in verse three
that he prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the
lamb? He was just a little bit
offshore because that's exactly what the occasion called for.
Just a little bit offshore that he might minister, that he might
speak, that he might preach, that he might challenge this
multitude of people. But now this called for
something different because he was about to step into Simon
Peters life and change him forever.
He was in the shallow waters. That was what the occasion
called for. But now he was telling him,
commanding him to launch out into the deep.
That's number one. And let me say this, he refused
to do that. Now we'll prove that in a
moment. But launch out into the deep.
And then #2 he was the, he was to let down your Nets for a
draft. Now you're all very good at
counting here. I told you that I was going to
keep it simple and I love to highlight the very simple words.
Look at that word, let down your Nets.
Can anybody tell me how many letters there's in that word
Nets? Now, that's not a trick
question. Back row 44 letters in that word
Nets. Do you know what that is?
That's very, very simple. And I've checked this in the
original, I've checked this in the Greek, and it corresponds
with what the Authorised Version tells us here.
The Lord Jesus Christ told him to let down all of his Nets, a
plurality of Nets, not just one simple net.
It's to say that you've, yes, I did what I was told.
No, the Saviour told him very simply that day, let down your
Nets. Now it might just be as obvious
what the third command was. Launch out into the deep, number
one, let down your Nets, all of them for a draft.
That's the third one. What's he?
What's he getting out here? Now, the Saviour was actually
commanding this individual Simon Peter.
And look at when I say this, because this is a challenge to
the church today, 2000 years on, that he was to have faith that
the Saviour would fill those Nets.
Is that not like a dart to our hearts today?
That we're to have faith that he will do it, that we're to have
faith that he will step in, but we're to have faith that he will
do the impossible because that's what it was, humanly speaking.
It was the impossible. You're to let down, you're to
launch out into the deeper waters, you're to leave the
shallows behind, you're to let down every single net that you
have on board. And probably most importantly
here, because this centred it at all, you're to have faith that I
am going to give you a draft, that I'm going to fill these
Nets for you as only he can do. That's a challenge of my heart.
That's a challenge of my soul. That's a challenge to ask myself
this question, where is my faith today in 2026?
Do I have the faith that the Siever was commanding that day,
but Simon Peter was caught short on that day?
I want you to look at the response of Simon Peter.
I want you to look at this to Kai in with our Sherman title
today, this half hearted response in verse 5 when Simon
and look at the response that he gave and Simon answering said
unto him, master and the excuses rolled off his tongue.
We have toiled all the night. We've worked hard.
We've worked to the point of exhaustion.
That's what it meant. Now, of course, the saviour knew
all about this being the omniscient 1.
He knew all about the effort that put and he knew all about
how tired they were. You know, whenever we're at her
wits end and we're tired, we just don't want to do anymore.
That's where Simon Peter, that's where his men were.
Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing.
There's the excuses nevertheless.
And look at the cheek of them here in this, and I mean that,
look at the cheek of them here nevertheless.
At thy word, he knew that he wasn't obeying the word of God.
At thy word I will let down there.
Oh, you're good at counting earlier.
How many letters is in at this time?
3 It's only one letter of difference.
Sure, we're only dropping off the ass.
I was told to let down the Nets, but nevertheless that I word I
will let down the net, one net, one single net.
Now I don't know many Nets that on board, maybe 7 or 10 or maybe
more. I don't know the number.
But what he was doing was here, he was holding back.
He refused to launch out into the deep.
He refused to leave the shallow waters behind.
And we're yet to prove that. We're going to prove that.
And now he refused to let down the Nets just because he'd
washed them all, He'd finished with them all.
He'd he'd done all that he was going to do.
They'd taken nothing but just to give a cursory answer to the
word of God. Let's just let down one net,
will not even move, will not even raise anchor, go to the
deep water, drop anchor again and let down all the Nets.
No, we'll refuse to move, but we'll just let down one net.
And then we read in verse 6, we read the first six of how the
Lord blessed, of how the Lord moved in a mighty way that
humbled them all. You see, Peter and I see, I
reckon there's so many parallels between Peter and us.
I feel like Peter sometimes. Far too often I feel like Peter.
Peter was the expert. You see, Peter was a thick sort
of a boy. Peter was the sort of boy that
jumped in with both feet that opened his mouth before he
engaged his brain. He was the sort of boy that
acted before he thought too much about it.
And Peter was the expert. That was his domain, the water,
the fishing. That was his domain.
After all, this was but a but a carpenter's son.
This is Jews of son. What would he know about the
ocean? He he played lip service to it.
He started off right, he said Master, and then everything in
the middle was a lie and then and then at the end he said,
nevertheless I will let down the net.
Oh, he knew exactly how to get round it and sound like he was
doing the right thing in paying lip service to the word of God.
And whenever I think about that, that's a challenge in my heart.
How many times do I do that? How many times do we do that as
a church? How many times do we take God's
word and, and twist that verse, twist that thought out of its
context, lift it out of its context and, and make it really
in our heart of hearts, say something that we know it never
really intended to mean. Just to get round that and make
it sound like we're spiritual or sound like we're doing
something. And many times do we twist the
Word of God either justify to justify what we either do that
we shouldn't do, or as the whole thrust of this passage is not do
what we should be doing. That's the thrust of this all.
Peter did that very thing. And yet, if we admit it today,
it's easy to point the finger at Peter.
But you remember, when you're pointing the finger at someone,
there's three fingers pointing back itself.
Look at that. That's the way we'll point,
isn't it? Well, point the finger and we
say they shouldn't be doing what they're doing.
And yet all the while I'm not doing this.
I'm not launching into the deep. I'm refusing to move.
I'm not dropping down all the Nets.
I'm not. Look, there's three fingers
pointing back at Paul Hannah. I'm not doing all that.
I'm doing with the fear that I've been commanded to to have.
Philippi. Didn't we read that of Stephen
as he was been martyred? He looked up onto heaven and he
was. That was one of the descriptions
that were given of him. He was full of faith and the
Lord used him to great effect that day.
In fact, almost 2000 years on, we've been doing the same thing
as what Peter did that day, using God's word, making
flippant use of God's word to either justify what we're doing
that we shouldn't be doing or not doing what we should be.
And yet, even in that all. Verse 5 tells us very clearly,
or verse 6 tells us verse 5 running into verse 6 tells us
that Christ moved in a mighty way even despite their frugal
attempts, even despite his sinfulness and his shortcomings,
even despite all of that that we read in verse 6.
And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude
of fishes, so much so that the evidence is here that their net
break look at look at what they did next and they back and on to
their partners which are in the other ship.
Verse 7, that they should come and help them.
Incidentally, verse 7, the head of her seven is the proof I told
you earlier was going to prove that they didn't even move into
deeper waters. They were still there, grounded
on, on, on, anchored in the shallow waters.
That's how they were able to bacon.
That's the word bacon there, that little phrase at the start
of verse 7. They beckoned unto their
partners. They were close enough that they
were able just to do that, to come on out here to help us.
They'd refused to move. They'd refused.
Peter had failed in all three parts of that command that the
Lord had given him. And yet even Despite that all,
Despite that all, the Almighty blessed what he did do, just
letting down a single net overboard without moving.
He blessed that to the extent that almost that brought in that
many fishes to those two ships that had almost caused both of
them to go to the bottom. Oh, that really humble Peter
that day. I thought about it actually had
written in my Bible that the Lord had humbled Peter that day.
But you know, it wasn't the Lord that humbled him really, it was
the sinfulness of his own actions.
The Lord was using that to bring Peter to the point that he
needed to be brought to. You see that proud heart that
sticking out your chest? No one better.
I'm the master of the sea. You're but a shepherd, but a but
a Carpenter. Son.
That attitude was just going to bring Peter down.
Peter needed to be humbled that day in order to be useful and
used by the Lord. I love that verse, or those
verses rather, from Second Chronicles 7, verse 14, verse 13
as well. But verse 14 reads if my people,
which are called by My name shall.
There's a list of things here that's required of us.
You know, it's at the head of this list.
Humility, if my people which are called by My name shall humble
themselves, number one, top of the list, humble themselves and
pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then
God's promise applies. Then will I hear from heaven,
forgive their sin, and heal their lamb.
But at the top of that list and the others are all, they all
flow from it. They are all predicated upon
that first thing. If my people which are called by
My name shall humble themselves. Peter was humbled that day by
the sinfulness of his own actions, or rather by the
sinfulness of his own inactions. His own refusal to obey Peter
was condemned by himself that day.
He was humbled that day. He was humbled but to the point
where he cried and he prayed. And I heard a preacher say one
time on this portion that whenever Peter cried that prayer
and verse 8 where he cried, Depart from me, for I'm a sinful
man. Oh Lord, he didn't really mean
it. I'll tell you what, he meant it.
He meant it. He meant that more than anything
else he had ever prayed in his whole life.
Depart from me for I'm a sinful man.
Oh, he meant it. He meant it all right.
But did the Lord answer that prayer in the way that he had
intended or asked or hoped for out of shame that he had hoped
for? Oh yes, the Lord answered that
prayer, but in the opposite way from what Peter had asked.
And sometimes that happens. In fact, he answered that prayer
that day in a way that commissioned Peter for the rest
of his life, but set him on that track that he would be on for
the rest of his life. And he turned him into a great
soul winner for God through his response to get the response
that he gave. And Jesus said unto Simon, I
love it there at the end of verse 10, he said unto him, and
he started off with these words, fear not.
Oh, Peter just wanted the ground open up and swallow him whole.
He was so filled with shame. And the Lord said unto him after
a little delay, and he let the dust settle.
And no doubt I can just imagine the scene where he would have
said at Cambly and to Peter. Peter wouldn't even have been
able to look him in the eye. He would no doubt was lying.
Well we read here, but he fell down at Jesus knees.
He can imagine the scene he cried from depart from me.
What did the Lord say? Fear not.
And then he gave him. I love that word.
It's easy to miss over it. Fear not.
From henceforth, you know what that word means from now on.
You know what that word means from this fresh beginning.
Do you know what that means? From this new start, From
henceforth? May today be a henceforth
meeting for you, for me, for those watching along online.
But the Lord is challenging and speaking to you from henceforth.
And then the promise comes, Thou shalt catch men.
And what do we read that he did here?
They forsook all. After that it made all the
difference. He didn't go back to his life of
fishing. He maybe did on occasion, but a
central thought now wasn't the fishing, wasn't the fish, wasn't
the main occupation. He may have done that to support
himself as Paul did later on. He went back as a tent maker.
He went back, but his main occupation, his main thrust, his
main focus, all his energies and thoughts and prayers were
centred around the work of God. From that point on, from that
henceforth meeting, from henceforth, thou shalt catch men
so much more that I'd wanted to say the day, but time has beaten
us. But perhaps this will be a
henceforth meeting for some of you.
And may the Lord continue to speak.
And the Lord did speak to Peter many times, the Lord, of course,
Peter feel the Lord many times after that point.
But from that point, his whole focus, his whole structure was
changed and he was sold out from God to God.
From that very point and onwards, we'll just sing.
We'll just take time to sing a couple of verses of our closing
hymn, please. It's 515 found in Page 373.
I need the every hour. Most gracious God, no tender
voice like thine. And we'll think, here we've been
thinking about the voice and the Word and the ministry of the
Lord to that man's heart.