SERMON OUTLINE 012--2 FEB 07
FOB PALIWODA
4FEB07
Scripture
Luke 5:1-11
Background
Luke
-was a doctor
-was a Gentile
-close friend and companion of Paul
-written for Gentiles
-stresses Jesus’ divinity
Timeline
4:1-13 Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness
4:14-15 Begins ministry with the Gentiles in Galilee, headquartered in Capernaum
4:16-30 Visits, teaches, and is rejected at Nazareth
4:31-37 Returns to Capernaum, teaches, casts out first demon
4:38-41 Heals Simon-Peter’s mother-in-law, casts out many demons
4:42-44 Goes to desert, crowds follow, says He must go to other cities, preaches in the synagogues of Galilee
5:1 People are hungering for the Word of God.
5:2 People are pressing upon Him, He is looking for a way to get apart from the crowd.
5:3 Takes Simon’s boat (with Simon in it), and teaches the crowds from the water. He is tired, sits down.
5:4 Stops teaching, tells Simon essentially to fish from exact location.
5:5 Simon whines but does it anyway.
5:6 Catch so many fish that they worry about their net breaking.
5:7 They come with the other boat, but they have so many fish (in the boat) that they worry about it sinking.
5:8 Simon Peter confesses to Christ that he is a sinful man.
5:9 All are astonished by what they see
5:10 James and John (Zebedee) were (probably) in the other boat. Jesus tells Simon that he will now fish for men.
5:11 They forsake all to follow Christ.
5:12-16 Jesus heals a man with leprosy.
5:17-26 Jesus heals paralytic (dropped from ceiling), Pharisees begin to question and persecute.
I. Introduction
A. Luke
1. was a doctor
2. was a Gentile
3. close friend and companion of Paul
4. written for Gentiles
5. stresses Jesus’ divinity
6. was this really a test of Simon
B. 5:1 PEOPLE ARE HUNGERING FOR THE WORD OF GOD.
1. People are hungering for the Word of God. Was there a lack of teachers in the land? Was it not visible? War had torn apart the land and the people.
2. Time for fishing was ripe. But was Jesus there to only teach the Gospel or to fulfill the gospel?
C. 5:2 PEOPLE ARE PRESSING UPON HIM, HE IS LOOKING FOR A WAY TO GET APART FROM THE CROWD.
1. Where was Jesus’ PSD?
2. The other boat belongs to the brothers James and John Zebedee.
D. 5:3 TAKES SIMON’S BOAT (WITH SIMON IN IT), AND TEACHES THE CROWDS FROM THE WATER. HE IS TIRED, SITS DOWN.
1. Incidental, seemingly meaningless facts are always a part of true stories. Jesus is probably tired (and we will soon find out hungry), and he wants to at least sit while He teaches. It also means that He is going to teach for awhile.
2. Teaching does not just involve preaching. There were questions and answers. There was audience participation.
E. 5:4 STOPS TEACHING, TELLS SIMON ESSENTIALLY TO FISH FROM EXACT LOCATION.
1. The fisherman of Gennesaret knew where all the best places to fish were (the Sea of Galilee was not that big).
2. Was this a test for Simon? Simon, do you trust me? He is telling Simon about his job.
F. 5:5 SIMON WHINES BUT DOES IT ANYWAY.
1. Simon whines but does it anyway. Simon whines because he is, on some level, insulted by what Jesus, a non-fisherman, tells him, a master-fisherman. Can we just see the testosterone flowing? Simon’s only encounter to date with Christ is the healing of his mother-in-law and some other folks at his house. When we are told to do something we think foolish, do or have we ever given a whining statement before we go make it happen.
2. Illustration: we have had some friction between folks. What causes the friction? It is the same thing that causes Simon to answer the way he does: pride. We know better; we know it all. If you think this does not happen, what about mid-tour complacency. The Army can be the least learning institution in the world because it is run by people (like you and me) who think they know it all.
G. 5:6 CATCH SO MANY FISH THAT THEY WORRY ABOUT THEIR NET BREAKING.
H. 5:7 THEY COME WITH THE OTHER BOAT, BUT THEY HAVE SO MANY FISH (IN THE BOAT) THAT THEY WORRY ABOUT IT SINKING.
I. 5:8 SIMON PETER CONFESSES TO CHRIST THAT HE IS A SINFUL MAN.
1. Simon is finally called Simon Peter: why is that? It is because he begins to act like the rock upon which the Church will be built.
2. Peter in Greek is Petra, meaning stone.
J. 5:9 ALL ARE ASTONISHED BY WHAT THEY SEE.
K. 5:10 JAMES AND JOHN (ZEBEDEE) WERE (PROBABLY) IN THE OTHER BOAT. JESUS TELLS SIMON THAT HE WILL NOW FISH FOR MEN.
1. Tells Simon to not be afraid. You have a new job now.
L. 5:11 THEY FORSAKE ALL TO FOLLOW CHRIST.
1. By walking away from the boat they made a fairly significant commitment to Christ. They did not worry about how they were going to earn their living or pay their bills; they just followed. And while their status as fishermen was not high, it was nonetheless secure, yet they still walked away.
II. Lessons
A. WE MUST HAVE THE RIGHT HEART BEFORE WE CAN “FISH FOR MEN,” MEANING PERFORM MINISTRY.
1. Before Peter begins his ministry, he must know his place. In verse 8 he confesses who he is. In essence Simon is the proud man, the pre-saved, pre-baptized, pre-christian man. Peter is the renewed man, the faithful man, the miracle man, because Peter is the humble man. Christ does not choose him because of intellect, position, power, or influence. He chooses him because of his heart.
2. We can see example of this pride versus arrogance in the military. We all like to think that we are special, and this is a good thing if it is used to build coherence, satisfaction, cooperation, and a sense of team. In fact, nothing is better to experience than to be a part of a military unit that believes in its mission, its capabilities, its leadership, and itself. However, this sense of uniqueness can soon deteriorate into arrogance. We are not only special but we are better than you are.
3. Story: there was a soldier going through OCS with a old friend of mine who had a blank uniform but had about every badge and tab we can think of when he showed up for graduation in his class As. I met a priest and chaplain who sounded like Mr. Rogers but had every badge, tab, and experience you could think of because he was a 20-year career warrant officer with Special Forces.
4. We want to follow the humble but we reject the arrogant. We want to learn from the wise but we mock the condescending. Peter’s heart had to be in the right place before he could even begin to fish for men.
B. THE FOCUS IS NOT ON US, IT IS ON THE MESSAGE.
1. The key to catching people for Christ is to let Him do the fishing and to follow Him to the right fishing holes.
2. Graeme Keith, treasurer of the Billy Graham Association and Billy's lifelong friend, says:
I was on an elevator with Billy when another man in the elevator recognized him. He said, "You're Billy Graham, aren't you?""Yes," Billy said.
"Well," the man said, "you are truly a great man."
Billy immediately responded, "No, I'm not a great man. I just have a great message."."[1]
C. JESUS IS THE MESSAGE.
1. “Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is himself the way.” --Karl Barth
III. Conclusion: PEOPLE FISHING MEANS SAILING IN DEEP AND DANGEROUS (NOT SHALLOW AND SAFE) WATERS
A. “Though Jesus tells us, ‘Don’t be afraid’ when he promises to teach us to fish like him, it’s scary.” --William Willemon
B. Instead of thinking woe is us, maybe we need to be thanking God for the opportunities we have here. Instead of worrying about ourselves, maybe God is opening up places for us to fish in the hearts around us. Have we ever thought that as Christians we are supposed to be living in and through tough times?
C. Illustration
The highly regarded HBO miniseries Band of Brothers follows a company of U.S. paratroopers through the preparation and experience of invading Europe on D-Day. Based on real life interviews of survivors, the series captures both the intensity of war and the heroism of the troops.
The collage shows Winters charging with his troops into battle, then proudly saluting an officer he's just promoted, and then commenting to a fellow soldier, "I don't like to retreat."
The quick moving scenes of the collage close with Winters leading his troops into their most celebrated feat of the war, holding the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge. A soldier leaving the front line pulls Winters aside and says ominously, "Looks like you guys are going to be surrounded."
Without hesitation Winters replies, "We're paratroopers, Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded."[2]
[1] Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley, The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham (Zondervan, 2005).
[2] Band of Brothers (Warner Bros. Home Video, 2001), Disc 6, "Who's Who: The Men of Easy Company: Richard Winters"; based on the book by Stephen Ambrose, directed by Tom Hanks and David Frankel; submitted by Bill White, Paramount, California.
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