“Let Down Your Nets”
Luke 5:1-11
Sunday, September 26, 2010

Introduction: Life is full of endless possibilities! If you don’t believe it, all you have to do is look around and see how technology is constantly changing. For example, we thought it was great when we had dial up internet. Then came along DSL, and now we have fiber optics. It is possible I’m not even aware of something better than that. The point is, we think we have found something wonderful, but something even “better” comes along.
This is true of the possibilities of life as well. This is because we have a God of endless possibilities behind us. God’s power is so great, and Jesus Himself told us in John 14:11-12, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” It’s really about having the right perspective, and letting God lead us to our full potential.

I. Find the Right Perspective-
a. Ordinary or extraordinary- Everyday we see things all around us.
The question is, do they appear to be ordinary, or extraordinary? For some, looking at a flower can be ordinary. You see flowers all the time. But if you really examine them, they might seem more extraordinary. Or in the hands of the right photographer, the picture they capture could indeed be extraordinary. They take a simple flower, frame it just right, with the right lighting and texture, and the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
So it is about framing our surroundings. In photography and cinemato-
graphy, framing is a technique used to bring the focus to the subject. It is a way to be able to focus more on a particular object in a way that maximizes its beauty. It is gaining the right perspective. Of course the perspective we have will affect the way we think about our life, our world, and existence. Too often we have a negative perspective based on the challenges and struggles we encouter.
EX. For example, there have been some years where we have taken a nice vacation: a trip to Disneyworld in Florida, trips to the Black Hills in South Dakota. But those vacations cost a lot of money, and took a long time of saving up to do them. This year we dind’t have the money to take that kind of a vacation, and so we decided to do something simpler: we went to the beach for a couple of days, and then rented a hotel room at Howard Johnsons, across from Disneyland so that we could not only use our Disneyland passes, but in the heat of the afternoon we could go back to the hotel and swim and relax, then go back to Disneyland in the cool of the evening. One of the highlights of our time together was when we were walking back to the hotel one night, about 10 p.m., and we decided to stop at McDonalds and have an ice cream cone.
It was less about the extravegance of the vacation, and more about the perspective of the time we had together.
b. The right angle- But what about more difficult circumstances, like the
sickness of a loved one. I don’t mean coming down with a cold or the flu. I mean a serious illness. How can we have a positive perspective on this? EX. The truth is, when we have to deal with life threatening illnesses of loved ones, it is a great blow to our world. We hate to see those we love in pain. We hate to be in a position where we can’t do anything to help. But I have seen relationships grow deeper than at any other time in their lives when a loved one gets sick. They spend more time together. There is more time for caring and sharing and talking, and reflecting on the wonderfulness of life and relationship! Some families can really turn a tragedy into a blessing when they frame it just right; when they have the right perspective about life and death. When they have an eternal perspective.
With God we know that we can reframe a problem into an opportunity. In God we can be confident that the right answer is there for us if we just can get the “right” angle on it. Often times the right answer doesn’t come immediately, especially if we get lost and overwhelmed in what we are going through. Our minds can become numb, or angry, or bitter. But if we seek the answer from different angles, we realize there is often more than one answer.
Ex. Going back to a photography example, I’m sure you, like me, have seen how a photographer can take a tragedy (like an earthquake, or tsunami), and out of that tragedy can come up with some beautiful pictures: pictures of people helping other people who are in dire need of help; pictures of heroic acts; pictures of families comforting one another. With just the right angle, the picture becomes breathtaking.

II. Refine the Right Technique- (Luke 5:1-11)
Along with having the right perspective, we might have to refine our technique.
a. Jesus at the Lake- In our passage this morning, we see how Jesus is
at the Lake of Gennesaret. We know that Jesus had started His ministry because He was teaching. This event took place some time after His testing in the wilderness. We see a turning point here in Jesus’ ministry, as He now moves from teaching in the Synagogue, to teaching out where people live and work. It also changed, because Jesus knew that the “religious” people in the synagogues would not be as open to His teachings as those away from the synagogues.
Jesus was so pressed upon by the people, that He decided to ask Simon if He could take Him out away from the shore and the people, so that He could teach more comfortably. This Simon agreed to do, not knowing what this would mean for Him a little later.
After Jesus is done teaching, He has a surprise for Simon. He wants Simon to go out and fish again, so He tells Simon to put out to the deep water. Simon is tired, and does not want to fish any more. But, Jesus is His Master, and so he agrees to this. On top of this, Jesus, WHO IS NOT A FISHERMAN, tells Simon, WHO IS A FISHERMAN, to put out the nets. Simon has mentioned to Jesus that in their working all night, they had not caught any fish. Night was the preferred time to fish, and in essence Simon might be hinting to Jesus that if they didn’t catch any at night, then why would they catch any now. Simon believed he had employed the right technique to catch the fish.
b. Following Jesus’ lead- When Simon puts out the nets, they catch so
many fish, its as if the fish are jumping into the net. At this Simon Peter falls down at Jesus’ feet in humility saying: “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Why did Simon Peter say he was sinful? Because he had doubted Jesus; he did not have the right attitude. In fact, he did not have the right technique, because the right technique always starts with obedience. Simon’s lack of willingness to be obedient was sin, and Simon recognized it as such.
Not too long ago someone sent me this illustration, that says:
RECALL NOTICE: The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed "Sub-sequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed. Some of the symptoms include:1. Loss of direction; 2. Foul vocal emissions; 3. Amnesia of origin; 4. Selfish or violent behavior; 5. Rebellion
The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required. No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:
1. Love; 2. Joy; 3. Peace; 4. Patience; 5. Kindness; 6. Goodness;
7. Faithfulness; 8. Gentleness; 9. Self control
Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes….
While Jesus was here on the earth, the disciples and others were able to learn the technique of living by watching and learning from Jesus. Now that Jesus is gone, we have the Bible to guide us in our living. Hopefully we can learn that at the core of our living, there needs to be obedience!

III. Put ourselves in the place of most potential- (Luke 5:11; Matt. 11:28-30))
a. Put the nets down- I already mentioned that Jesus took Simon out to
the deep water. Who knows if that was in a similar place that Simon had been during the night, or a completely different place. Who knows if Jesus had a sense about where the fish might be. Whatever it was, we do know that Jesus directed Simon to the place in the water Jesus wanted him to go, then told him to put out his nets. Jesus believed this to be the place of “most potential,” and we see that it indeed was, since they caught so much fish that it filled not only the 2 boats already on the water, but more boats had to be called to help drag the fish nets in!!
Illus. Last Sunday I was watching the show “Undercover Boss.” Have you watched that show? It is an interesting concept. The concept is this: the boss of a company goes undercover to do the jobs of the ordinary workers; but even more to experience the inner working of the company through the eyes of the workers. It is quite funny at times, especially when the boss has trouble doing the ORDINARY jobs, and is looked at by the workers as incompetent. But it is also touching, because the boss builds relationships with the people, and finds out about their lives, and their struggles, and their dreams.
The show last Sunday was the CEO of Seven-Eleven going undercover. At one particular store he was asked by the manager to make a call to the maintenance division to have some lights and circuits shipped to the store. It wasn’t put as a high priority by the maintenance division, and they responded by saying it would be about 30 days until they got the lights. This upset the “boss” because it was a work hazard to not have adequate lighting. So, he went out to his car, called one of his vice president’s, and had him put in a request to the maintenance division. Lights were received soon after!!
The moral of this story, and our sermon, is that when you have the BOSS around, the potential for great things to happen in life increases dramatically; exponentially.
b. With Jesus- Ultimately, the place of most potential is with Jesus. Hear
again Luke 5:11- “When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.” Simon and James and John were so moved by where Jesus had led them, that they decided they would leave what they knew, fishing, to learn how to live a more fulfilling life with Jesus. And over the next 3 years these men would be challenged, they would be tired, confused, rejected, and much more. But I truly believe that if you asked them if it was worth it, they would say yes.
We too need to learn that the place of most potential is with Jesus. This is true, because life will bring to us what it will. On our own, we will be able to manage here and there, but there will be many times when we feel outmatched, overwhelmed, or just plain exhausted. We are not designed to live our lives by our own strength. We are meant to bear it with the help of Jesus. And when we have Jesus in our lives, we will have a much different perspective on how to deal with life’s troubles.
As Jesus told us in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” In Jesus we get the strength to rest, and be built up, and then are able to serve the Lord! In Jesus we have wisdom. In Jesus we have the Holy Spirit guiding us, and preparing us, and empowering us. In Jesus we have the ability to do greater things than Jesus did!! Without Jesus, the disciples were just fishermen, or tax collectors; but with Jesus they started the church, and changed the world!

IV. Be Ready to take advantage of the opportunities- (Matthew 13:47-48)
We read in Matthew 13:47-48, these words from Jesus: “Once again, the
kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.” There are many opportunities around us. We don’t always see them as such. If we are not ready to take advantage of the opportunities when they arise, then we will miss out on bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God; we will miss out on living a productive life; we will miss out of really experiencing in our life all that God has designed for us.
Story: There is a story of a stranger who wanted to buy a barn that sat by the highway. The owner thought he was crazy since he was a city type. He said he was driving by, and saw the old barn, and he wanted to know if it was for sale. He thought it was a beautiful old barn. The owner thought his idea of beauty was funny. It had been a beautiful barn once, but there had been a lot of winter’s, and wind, and many years of the sun beating down on it. The paint was now gone and the wood had turned to a silver gray. The stranger said he was going to use the wood to line the den of his new country home that he was building down the road, and that you couldn’t get paint that beautiful; only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and the scorching sun could make the wood that beautiful color. That’s the beauty we have as well as we bear the years, and the sun, and the storms.
If the disciples hadn’t been ready, then they wouldn’t have chosen to follow Jesus, and they would have missed out on learning first hand from the Savior. If Abraham hadn’t been ready, he would not have left his hometown, and his family, and chosen to go do the work of the Lord. He would have missed the opportunity of being the “father” of all nations. If Noah had not been ready, he would not have taken the charge to build an ark, and he and his family would have perished.
Windows of opportunity are just that, windows. They are not huge openings that stay open for great amounts of time. They pass by us. We must be ready to see them, and even more, ready to act upon them. This doesn’t mean that missed opportunities will make our life worthless. God will continually put opportunities in front of us. But if we are unwilling to act upon these opportunities, then we will not experience the fullness and joy that God can bring to our lives!!
You can ready yourself in several ways: 1. start the day out with prayer, asking God to open your eyes; 2. be intentional about looking for “opportunities” to bring the Lord into a situation; 3. Have a willing attitude about stepping out of your comfort zone, because not all windows of opportunity will require your normal giftedness (God will give you special gifts for special opportunities).

Conclusion: What is most important is caring about what you do. If you start to just go through the motions, or if you start to let life overwhelm you, then the chances increase that you will not put forth your best effort, and you will not persevere to be fruitful. Simon Peter was tired, and at first was not enthusiastic about putting out the nets. But did you notice that at the end of the story, when they had caught all of that fish, his energy level increased, even though he was tired. He was motivated to get down and confess; he was motivated to haul in the fish. He was motivated to follow Jesus. It didn’t say that he went home to take a nap and then follow Jesus!
When we see the right answers, because the Holy Spirit is giving us enlightenment, and we have the right perspective, because God is giving us “eyes to see,” then life will not be ordinary; life will be extraordinary. In fact, life can be extraordinary every day. Part of my prayer each day is to thank God for the “excitement” He brought to my life that day. Excitement can come in many forms, and we see the excitement of life, and the extraordinary aspect of life when we are obedient to God’s call in Christ. Amen.