Dave's Diary

Luke 5:1-11

This Sermon was preached at the 9am service on Sunday 6 February 2022.

We are into week two of our “Called to Covenant” Series. Allow me to remind you that a “Covenant” is a formal agreement by two or more parties to establish a relationship on certain conditions and with certain privileges, responsibilities and roles. The most common form of human covenant in our society is a marriage covenant, where a man and a woman covenant together with God to live for the rest of their lives in a relationship of mutual faithfulness, love and care. In the Bible, “Covenant” describes a formal relationship between God and the people of God. Examples are God’s Covenants with Noah, with Israel in the wilderness, and with King David.

Christians understand that we are in a covenant relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Himself is the Mediator of this New Covenant. Under that Covenant we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and He grants us eternally abundant life. So, whether you had realised it or not, if you are a Christ follower, then you are in a covenant with God.

And this series is a deliberate journey towards recommitting to our Christian covenant of discipleship under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is like a married couple going through a time of preparing to renew their marriage vows. They are not re-marrying each other … but they are making a recommitment.

Our recommitment to our Covenant, as we saw last week, we make by saying to the Lord the same thing we said in different words when we first chose to receive Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. We will say: “I am no longer my own but Yours”.

Those are words of re-surrender … of renewing our covenant. These words recognize that the disciple of Jesus is called to find the fullness of new life in Christ by dying to our self-centeredness – our self-lordship – and living Christ-centred lives … in full submission to His Lordship. We looked at that truth last week under the title “Dying to Live”. Dying to self … brings us to new life in Christ.

This week we are digging into the truth that those who have received new life in Christ are called to a life of service. We are called to be “Living to Serve”.

This is the call we are examining today. And we’re going to be doing so by investigating Simon’s call to this kind of life in Luke 5:1-11.

If you have a physical Bible with you, please open it to round about Luke 3 … if you use an electronic Bible, open chapter 3 and scroll about half way down.

Before we read Luke 5, you see, we have to observe that in Luke 3 Jesus was baptized, then in Luke 4 (turn there) Jesus was tested in the wilderness, and returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. He taught in all the synagogues of Galilee and built a reputation. Then in Luke 4:14-30, Jesus was rejected in Nazareth … then (v.31) he went to Capernaum (which was Simon’s home town) and He taught, then delivered a demonized man, then in v.38 of Luke 4 (see it there if your Bible is open) Jesus went from that deliverance to the home of … Simon. He miraculously healed Simon’s mother-in-law. After a meal with the family, when the sun was down and the Sabbath was over crowds of sick people were brought to Jesus and he healed them all.

Then in Luke 4:44 Jesus went and preached elsewhere.

When we come to Luke 5, Simon was not yet Jesus’ disciple. He had encountered Jesus … he had seen the wonders of Jesus’ ministry … but he was still just going about his everyday work while Jesus was off ministering elsewhere. Until one day … let’s start at Luke 5:1.

Read Luke 5:1-11 NIVUK

When this reading started, Simon was living to fish – with Jesus as an acquaintance.

By the time it ended, Simon was living to serve Jesus … as Lord.

I invite you to see with me in this text today, how Simon was (and how we can let ourselves be) graciously drawn into deeper discipleship by Jesus.

You see, discipleship is a journey. No one here has arrived at the place of perfect discipleship. None of us has lived perfectly in line with the Bible or with the Covenant Prayer or with the desire of Jesus for our lives. But Jesus is always drawing us deeper … and closer … and we see that in Simon today.

To me there are 3 clear stages in these 11 verses. While, for Simon, they represented stages he was drawn through very swiftly … you and I will probably find that we go back and forth in our discipleship. But Jesus is always drawing us deeper and closer.

1. Jesus on the sidelines (v.1-2) – A hero admired from afar

As the reading opens Simon, his brother Andrew, and their friends James and John, are on the shore of Lake Galilee.

Jesus is teaching a big crowd of people. They have followed him out of Capernaum, hungry for his teaching. But the four fishermen, including Simon, were not in the crowd listening. They didn’t have that luxury. They had been out fishing all night and they were still at work. They were doing that most horrid task of the subsistence fisherman. They were cleaning and repairing their nets before going home.

They were physically tired … ready for bed … discouraged at their lack of success that night … and probably a fair bit disgruntled by the sudden presence of the crowd … whose noise and movement was most likely scaring away any fish they hoped to catch later that day. I think they just wanted to be left alone.

But (as we have seen) Simon and the others were acquainted with Jesus. They had not yet fully realised who He was … but they had heard Him teach, seen His miracles … and they no doubt had huge respect for Jesus.

Notice how Jesus meets them where they are. Jesus comes to Simon and (despite being the Saviour of the world and the Lord of the Universe) Jesus asks Simon to do him a favour. He needed Simons boat as a pulpit – a floating platform that would slightly separate Him from the crowd … slightly elevate Him and give Him the opportunity to use the surface of the water and the slope of the shore as a natural form of amplification. He needed something Simon could do for Him and notice in v.3, “Jesus asked Simon to put out a little from the shore.”

Jesus came to Simon were he was. He saw Simon busy and hard at work. But through a gentle invitation … through a humble request that Simon do Him a favour … Jesus drew Simon that little bit closer.

For many of us, our discipleship starts at a place like this. We know a bit about Jesus … but Jesus is to the side-lines of our lives. We are busy and preoccupied … with our careers or our families or our hobbies … and Jesus does not condemn that. But Jesus does draw alongside us where we are … and invites us closer.

That coming closer … will sometimes seem to us like “doing Jesus a favour”. Often our service to Jesus starts with us feeling like we’re doing Jesus a favour. I have some skill … or some resource … and I admire Jesus … so when I see an opportunity to use that skill or resource in the Church … I’m happy to help.

But notice … it was on Simon’s terms. Simon did a task … then went back to cleaning the nets. It was just a favour to someone he respected.

I want to ask you with the utmost respect and not even a hint of condemnation: Is that where you are in your walk with the Lord? You have huge respect for Jesus … but to be honest He is off to the side … and the service you offer to Him is usually a momentary favour. I give some money … I play in the band once a month because I can … I volunteer occasionally in a mission activity. And I feel good about it .. .and I go back to my “normal” life.

Now that is not BAD. But there’s so much more. And Jesus is in the business of drawing us IN to that “so much more”. He really doesn’t want us to settle for having the Lord of Abundant Life off to the side where we do Him the occasional favour. Why not? Is it because he wants to use us and take us for all we have? No … it’s because He loves us … and he wants us to experience EVERYTHING He has to offer us. But to receive it … we have to go deeper.

2.Jesus obeyed begrudgingly (v.4-5) – A Master obeyed

Now watch this carefully. When Jesus had finished teaching … and Simon is back at work … he hasn’t received the teaching other than by overhearing snatches of it … Jesus gives a command.

Now Jesus is not asking a favour. He is making a demand. To Simon, it doesn’t seem like a reasonable demand. Simon doesn’t see yet that this demand is for his own benefit. He thinks Jesus doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Imagine that you are a professional fisherman. You have fished all night – using all the tricks of your trade to lure fish into your nets … and nothing has worked. You are so frustrated and irritated and tired. Then a carpenter … turned religious teacher … who knows nothing about fishing at all … is dishing out orders to you.

Those nets you just cleaned and folded up and need to use again tonight … he is telling you to drag them back into the boat … take the boat back out into deep water … and let down those nets for a catch – a catch you haven’t pulled in all night long.

I hear a begrudging note in Simon’s answer: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and caught nothing.” The Greek word for “Master” in this verse is a word that most literally means “Boss”. Could it be that Simon was being a touch cynical. Was it an eye-rolling moment? “Yes Boss” 

And yet, despite begrudging the uninvited order from someone who wasn’t his boss … something about this JESUS led Simon to make the sacrifice of his time and energy and effort … and obey … even if it was begrudgingly.

There are moments in our discipleship where Jesus calls us to move beyond doing Him favours … and to start serving Him in the ways He demands … with more commitment … a little bit sacrificially.

Is that maybe where you find yourself today? Until now, Jesus has been on the side-line … but just lately you feel as though Jesus is calling you deeper … to follow and serve Him more closely … And yet, you can see that this is going to cost you something. More time … more effort … more risk.

I am here to invite you today to take that chance. Don’t feel bad about the fact that you are a bit begrudging. Jesus never condemned Simon for that. Rather … take the same risk Simon took.  Be honest: “Jesus, I don’t actually want to do this … but because You say so … I will do what You say.”

I love the old version where Simon’s reply is translated very quaintly: “At Your word I will let down the nets”. Your wish is my command: “At Your word!”

I’m not inviting you to listen to the Church’s call … or to respond to the Church’s needs. I’m saying, Jesus is calling us to come deeper and serve more fully. Will you obey HIS WORD about that … even if it is begrudgingly.

3.Surrendering in awe (v.6-10a) – A Lord to be worshiped and served in awe

This outcome for Simon might never be something we experience. This passage is not a guarantee that you come to Jesus and serve Him and then miracles always flow. It is simply not like that.

But what this does show us is how surrendering to the Lordship and call of Jesus opens us up to experiencing the wonder of Who Jesus really is.

Simon had said, “At Your word”.

We know that at the word of this Jesus, the universe rumbled into existence… the waters were gathered together … the lakes and rivers were formed … the fish were spawned. So we shouldn’t be surprised that when Simon surrendered to the word of Jesus … wonders were released. A miraculous catch of fish.

Yet we discover that the real point of this miracle was not to make Simon wealthy … because this catch could have done exactly that. It was worth a mint. Simon had won the lottery! But Simon ends up walking away from it all … leaving it behind with his boat on the shore. So the miracle was never given to make Simon wealthy.

Rather, the point was to bring Simon to his knees in awestruck wonder … which is exactly what happened. THIS right here is when true life-change began. When Simon responded to Jesus and fell down and worshiped Jesus and proclaimed his own unworthiness and Jesus’ great Lordship.

No longer does Simon call Jesus “Boss”. Now He calls Him, “LORD”. (v.8)

No longer is Simon the one with superior knowledge condescending to begrudgingly do what Jesus says. Now he sees himself as a sinful man unworthy of being in the presence of Jesus. And Jesus he sees as a holy LORD.

And in that position … Jesus can not only be served by Simon … Jesus can not only be obeyed by Simon … but Jesus can utterly transform this man’s life.

If you and I will allow Jesus to draw us beyond doing Him favours … beyond serving Him begrudgingly … to the place of awestruck surrender and worship … Jesus can utterly transform our lives too. And that is what He wants to do!

Jesus is patient … Jesus is kind … Jesus does not rush us … Jesus does not condemn us when we get stuck somewhere before absolute surrender … but Jesus loves us so much that He is consistently drawing us towards the place of absolute surrender in worship and awe … because when we allow Him to draw us to that point … He can transform our lives … and that is what he wants to do.

Read v.10b with me: “Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on, you will fish for people.”

Jesus is speaking Simon’s future into being over him.

Now you might not realise it but Jesus had actually already done this once before for Simon. Right back in John 1:42 … the very first time they met … Jesus had taken one look at Simon and he had said: “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called “Cephas”, which when translated from Aramaic to Greek is Petros or Peter in English. Those names mean ROCK”.

Jesus looked into the rugged, sunburnt, dirty fisherman’s eyes and He saw the great ROCK of a man Simon was always created to be … and He called it out of Simon. He spoke the truth that was not yet so … as if it was already so.

He took Simon’s life and declared: “Simon you are the ROCK.”

He took the fisherman’s life and declared: “Simon, just as you have brought in the miraculous catch of fish, you will be someone who brings in people to My Kingdom!”

What I’m saying is that if you and I will … in awe and wonder … honestly surrender our lives to Jesus. … laying ourselves down at His feet … willing to do whatever he commands out of a place of worship and reverence and awe … Jesus can take our lives and transform us into everything  He created us to be.

It is from that position of reverent, worshipful awe that we will be invited to pray our covenant renewing prayer on 20 February. We will be invited to say to Jesus … and no one will be forced to say it … we will be invited to say: “JESUS, I am no longer my own but Yours. Now as Yours … put me to what You will (in other words, give me any task to do) … rank me with whom YOU will (in other words cause me to work alongside anyone You want) … put me to doing, put me to enduring (in other words, call me to do things for you or to endure things that happen to me) let me be employed for you or laid aside for You (in other words use me actively … or make me sit down and be still)… exalted for You or brought low for YOU (in other words I will obey You when it makes me popular and when it makes me unpopular … when it is a cool task, or a menial task”).

These are words of absolute surrender. But they are not for those for whom Jesus is still on the side-lines. They are not for those who are still obeying begrudgingly. These are words for those who bring themselves in awestruck wonder to fall on their faces in surrender to Jesus as Lord of their lives.