Sermons

 

Fishers of Men

 

Main Scripture | Supporting Scripture | Words of Jesus

 

Luke 5:1-11

 

1 Now 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 Gennesaret (also called the sea of Galilee); 2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the multitudes from the boat. 4 And when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but at Your bidding I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish; and their nets began to break; 7 and they signaled to their partners in the other boat, for them to come and help them. And they came, and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

 

I. The Direction: Jesus was teaching, giving us direction and pointing us out to the sea.

 

3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the multitudes from the boat.

 

Jesus was teaching from where the catch of fish was to come from, which is the sea. He again was showing that we are to be in the world but not of it (as He is above the sea in a boat), because the sea here represents where sinful man is. As the fish are in the sea, the catch of men is in the world. As we are in the world but not of it (meaning we don’t conform to its ways), Jesus is not in the sea but above it.

 

“Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

 

Jesus tells us where He wants us to go: further out to sea. He is not giving suggestions. These are His instructions for us. To be obedient we must do as the Lord says. To have a catch we must do as the Lord says.

 

II. The Depth: How deep will you go? As deep as Jesus says? Jesus does not send us out alone. When He tells us to go into the deep water, He goes with us.

 

Jesus has us take Him even further into the world, “Put out into the deep water… (a church setting is not the deep water. Church is where we get refreshed and empowered; it’s not where we are go fishing for the souls of men but where we come to get prepared to go out to fish for the souls of men). Now there are people brought by the Lord to church so they can believe and join... but it’s not at all the deep water. The deep water is where sinful man lives in quantity: Examples would be your work, the grocery, the movie theater, the gym, the bank… most anywhere you go that is not a Christian gathering is the deep water. Jesus does not ask us to go into the deep water alone, He goes with us. He goes with you after He commands you to move forward and you move forward. If you don’t move how is He going to go with you?

 

The deep water can also be very uncomfortable for a Christian. It’s not where we want to be. We want to feel safe and not stretched to our limits and quite frankly, we like the easier road. The problem is that to be obedient we stay in the easy places. Sometimes we have to get into the deep water and when we are there we must be attentive to what the Spirit says and do what He asks.

 

III. The Deployment: As a soldier of Christ you have been deployed and you will be deployed. Both are true. So, please don’t say it’s not your calling because this is every Christian’s calling. Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves.

 

From 2 Peter 1:12 Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them,…

 

A: The Command Has Been Given: Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.

 

So we see Jesus getting into the boat which was Simon’s. This is Jesus getting into you, into your spirit and saying quietly, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Then comes our typical first response, an excuse, as Simon said, “we worked hard all night and caught nothing” but here we also see Simon quickly take a step back and think to himself, “wait a minute what am I saying?” and he corrects himself to then say, “but at Your bidding I will let down the nets.” And that’s the correct response. This is the main thing I want you to remember. At Your bidding I will let down the nets. Also, notice he did not say “we” will let down the nets. He said “I”. Simon Peter took full responsibility so the direction of Jesus would be followed. Now many may have participated in the letting down of the nets (because the next verse says, “when they had done this”) but Simon took responsibility and made sure it happened. You have to take responsibility for the letting down of the nets for the catch, in your own life. The net you fish with is the Word of God.

 

B. Stay In Tune With Jesus: Listen to Him because you can do nothing if you are not led by the Spirit.

 

Listen: John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;  Luke 8:8 “And other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

 

Listen to Know When: Unless you hear Jesus say Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch you will not know when His bidding is. You will not know when to witness.

 

Listen to Know Where:  In John 21:6 we see that Jesus tells us where to fish: And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

 

If we don’t listen to Jesus we will just waste our time fishing but catching nothing, as Simon said “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing,”

 

When you go into the deep water (from Luke 14:21 …the streets and the lanes of the city) and preach the Gospel to the ones Jesus sends you to, for them, from their perspective (from 2 Corinthians 6:2) …now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation” Because Jesus sends you to the right people. The ones that can be caught. If you go out on your own, without Jesus, like Simon did the night before, you’re working in vane; maybe even trying to harvest when a seed has not yet even been planted in their heart. If you go on your own and the person is not ready… well you just shouldn’t do that. …at Your bidding (Lord Jesus) I will let down the nets. You let Him tell you when, where and who.

 

Romans 10:14-15 14 How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent?

 

Therefore, you’re sent and you must act on what Jesus says, and not just hear what Jesus says. If you’re saved, you’re sent.

 

C. Take Action: You must act on what Jesus says, and not just hear what Jesus says.

 

From 1 Chronicles 28:20 …“Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you… James 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” John 17:18 “As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. Matthew 7:26 “And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.

 

1.   Have A great Catch: Simon and his crew did as Jesus said “And when they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish;” Jesus knew the right time, the right place and the right fish to be caught. Jesus knows the right time, the right place and the right people to have the Gospel spoken to. Jesus knows who is ready to accept Him and who is not. Obviously, it was not time for the fish to be caught that Simon fished for all night because he caught none, but it was time for the fish Jesus directed Simon to, to be caught. Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven

 

and their nets began to break; 7 and they signaled to their partners in the other boat, for them to come and help them. And they came, and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.

 

2.   And Call Others: So who are the partners in the other boat? Friends and business partners, and even competitors, and also one Church calling to another, saying, “Look we have done exactly as Jesus said and we have a large catch. Come help us and be filled.” We must set aside our differences so the simplicity of the Gospel can work and save the lost. As these two boats joined together both boats were filled. Had the other not come part of the catch (souls) would have been lost that day.

 

Matthew 9:37-38  37 Then He *said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

 

D. Look At What The Lord Has Done: Simon Peter looks at himself and what Jesus has done in his life and sees his own wretchedness.

 

8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

 

Simon Peter, James and John recognized the power of the Lord and their inability to accomplish even their own profession apart from Jesus. Seeing this inability to live without the Lord, in amazement, they leave everything and follow him.

 

Are you fishing for men? Are you being faithful in this call? Are you letting down the nets at the Lord’s bidding? Are you listening for his voice in this area? Are you prepared for this? Do you have your net, the Word of God with you to fish for men, either in your mind or keep a Bible handy for this? Do you have scripture with you to hand out to catch men?

 

Again remember this: At Your bidding (Lord Jesus) I will let down the nets. That’s the time to act, that’s when. Who Jesus says to talk to are the people to talk to and where is in the deep water (where sinners live).

 

 

 

If you’re not saved, Come to Jesus!