1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,060 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,060 –> 00:00:15,160 To contact us, call us at 1-877-open-365 or visit our website, OpenTheBible.org. 3 00:00:15,160 –> 00:00:17,500 Let’s get to the message. 4 00:00:17,500 –> 00:00:19,360 Here is Pastor Colin. 5 00:00:19,360 –> 00:00:24,820 Today, we are beginning a new series on the life of Peter. 6 00:00:24,820 –> 00:00:29,760 Now the title for the series is Authentic Discipleship. 7 00:00:29,760 –> 00:00:36,400 Jesus said, go therefore and make disciples of all nations. 8 00:00:36,400 –> 00:00:44,540 And here is the obvious question, what then does it mean to be a disciples of Jesus? 9 00:00:44,540 –> 00:00:51,220 As a pastor, I’ve been asked on more than one occasion, how many members are there in 10 00:00:51,220 –> 00:00:53,340 your church? 11 00:00:53,340 –> 00:00:59,160 And when I give the answer to that question, the follow up I’ve received is, and how many 12 00:00:59,160 –> 00:01:01,880 of them are disciples? 13 00:01:01,880 –> 00:01:17,300 Now, there’s a whole world of programs, practices, courses, ministries that have sprung up around 14 00:01:17,300 –> 00:01:20,180 this theme of how to be a disciple. 15 00:01:20,180 –> 00:01:24,239 They tend often to lay out what you must do. 16 00:01:24,239 –> 00:01:29,820 They depict what a disciple is, what a disciple does, and some of them may be helpful. 17 00:01:29,820 –> 00:01:35,540 The problem, as I see it, is that they can also be very discouraging. 18 00:01:35,540 –> 00:01:43,480 If the model disciple is held up as someone who always believes and never doubts, whose 19 00:01:43,480 –> 00:01:52,919 prayers are always answered, who is always giving a clear and effective witness to Jesus, 20 00:01:52,959 –> 00:01:58,680 then perhaps like me you will find yourself saying that’s a long way from the reality 21 00:01:58,680 –> 00:02:01,820 of my life. 22 00:02:01,820 –> 00:02:07,279 But what we have here in the Gospels is a long way from an airbrushed picture of an 23 00:02:07,279 –> 00:02:09,100 ideal Christian. 24 00:02:09,100 –> 00:02:15,119 The wonderful thing that I love about Peter and I’m sure you do too, is that he is just 25 00:02:15,119 –> 00:02:17,080 like us. 26 00:02:17,080 –> 00:02:21,020 He is a mass of contradictions. 27 00:02:21,020 –> 00:02:24,860 On the one hand he is clearly a committed follower of Jesus and yet he keeps questioning 28 00:02:24,860 –> 00:02:26,559 what Jesus says. 29 00:02:26,559 –> 00:02:33,020 He launches out in faith and yet he holds back in fear. 30 00:02:33,020 –> 00:02:38,740 Sometimes he speaks with wisdom that only God himself could give and other times he 31 00:02:38,740 –> 00:02:43,860 speaks as if he was possessed by the devil. 32 00:02:43,860 –> 00:02:50,720 Now i’ve called this series authentic discipleship because in the life of Peter we have a 33 00:02:50,940 –> 00:03:00,080 real-life picture of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and if you have ever felt 34 00:03:00,080 –> 00:03:05,559 that being a genuine disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is beyond you I want to offer 35 00:03:05,559 –> 00:03:11,960 you encouragement in this series i mean for a start the word disciple itself very simply 36 00:03:11,960 –> 00:03:20,699 means learner and a learner is one who by definition is not yet all that he or she hopes 37 00:03:21,020 –> 00:03:29,339 one day to be maybe you look back with a great deal of regret on things that you said or 38 00:03:29,419 –> 00:03:35,539 did in the past maybe you find it difficult to live with decisions that you have made 39 00:03:35,539 –> 00:03:45,380 I’m a follower of Jesus how could I been such a fool? how could I have messed up so badly? 40 00:03:45,880 –> 00:03:49,720 Is there’s not a sign that there’s something fundamentally defective 41 00:03:49,720 –> 00:03:54,860 about me am I really a Christian at all? And what we’re going to see in this 42 00:03:54,860 –> 00:03:59,520 series again and again is that authentic discipleship has its failures 43 00:03:59,520 –> 00:04:04,919 as well as its successes but what we’re going to see in the middle of it all is 44 00:04:04,919 –> 00:04:11,960 that the story of Peter is full of hope because it’s a story all about what 45 00:04:11,960 –> 00:04:20,799 Jesus Christ can do with flawed disciples like us so please then turn 46 00:04:20,799 –> 00:04:26,119 with me to Luke and chapter five where we read that on one occasion while the 47 00:04:26,119 –> 00:04:31,779 crowd was pressing in on him to hear the Word of God he that is Jesus was 48 00:04:31,779 –> 00:04:37,619 standing by the lake of Gennesaret, the picture the scene, the Lord 49 00:04:37,640 –> 00:04:44,079 Jesus Christ is standing beside the lake at the edge of the water he has his back 50 00:04:44,079 –> 00:04:51,140 to the water and a crowd has gathered and they are eager to hear what he has 51 00:04:51,140 –> 00:04:58,920 to say. They are pressing in on him these people really are eager to hear 52 00:04:58,920 –> 00:05:05,000 the Word of God and then we read that Jesus saw two boats by the lake but the 53 00:05:05,000 –> 00:05:14,260 fisherman had gone out of them and were washing their nets. So here’s Peter and 54 00:05:14,260 –> 00:05:20,899 his business partners James and John and they’re not in the crowd that is 55 00:05:20,899 –> 00:05:25,720 pressing in to hear the Word of God, they’re somewhere off to the side and 56 00:05:25,720 –> 00:05:33,220 they’re washing their nets. Now think about this, Jesus is speaking the Word of 57 00:05:33,299 –> 00:05:39,059 God and there are crowds of people pressing in to hear him and Peter well 58 00:05:39,059 –> 00:05:45,100 he’s preoccupied with something else. Now here is something then for the person 59 00:05:45,100 –> 00:05:54,980 who is on the edge of this congregation today. The service is going on around you, 60 00:05:54,980 –> 00:06:01,420 you’re in the crowd but you’re not pressing in to hear the Word of God, 61 00:06:01,540 –> 00:06:09,279 your fiddling with your cell phone. Your mind is somewhere else. There’s a man 62 00:06:09,279 –> 00:06:15,260 speaking from the Bible. Some people seem eager to hear what he’s saying but you’re 63 00:06:15,260 –> 00:06:20,500 not expecting that anything significant will happen for you today. That’s where 64 00:06:20,500 –> 00:06:29,940 Peter was. Now why was he on the edge of the crowd? Why was he not pressing in to 65 00:06:30,100 –> 00:06:37,299 hear the Word of God like so many others were? Well, Peter, of course, already knew 66 00:06:37,299 –> 00:06:43,019 Jesus. We know from John’s gospel that it was his brother Andrew who had been 67 00:06:43,019 –> 00:06:47,660 with John the Baptist and heard John the Baptist say of Jesus behold the Lamb of 68 00:06:47,660 –> 00:06:52,600 God who takes away the sin of the world. And it was Andrew who came and told Peter 69 00:06:52,600 –> 00:06:59,040 we have found the Messiah. And so Peter then came with his brother and met Jesus 70 00:06:59,779 –> 00:07:06,019 and John records that Jesus looked at him, that’s Peter, and said you are Simon 71 00:07:06,019 –> 00:07:12,500 the son of John, you shall be called Cephas which means 72 00:07:12,500 –> 00:07:19,940 Peter. So Simon was this man’s original name and Peter was the new name that 73 00:07:19,940 –> 00:07:28,380 Jesus gave to him. Peter had heard Jesus speak the Word of God before, there had 74 00:07:28,500 –> 00:07:34,179 clearly been many times when he had listened to the Word of God intently but 75 00:07:34,179 –> 00:07:40,040 somehow, somewhere along the line, the Word of God had become dull to him. 76 00:07:40,040 –> 00:07:46,500 What was compelling to other people was no longer compelling to Peter so he’s 77 00:07:46,500 –> 00:07:53,760 off to the side while others are pressing in and he’s washing the nets. 78 00:07:54,480 –> 00:07:58,500 Now as the crowd pressed forward there was a danger that Jesus was going to be 79 00:07:58,500 –> 00:08:03,459 pushed back into the water and so we read in verse 3 that, getting into one of 80 00:08:03,459 –> 00:08:09,119 the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land and he 81 00:08:09,119 –> 00:08:15,420 sat down and taught the people from the boat. So, you see what happens here, 82 00:08:15,420 –> 00:08:21,019 Peter’s off to the side and Jesus beckons him, calls him into the boat. 83 00:08:21,760 –> 00:08:27,720 Peter gets into the boat with Jesus and he guides the boat out a little way from 84 00:08:27,720 –> 00:08:32,919 the land and then Jesus continues to speak the Word of God to the crowd who 85 00:08:32,919 –> 00:08:38,780 are pressing in on the shore and then Luke records in verse 4 that, when He, 86 00:08:38,780 –> 00:08:46,580 Jesus, had finished speaking he said to Simon put out into the deep and let down 87 00:08:46,580 –> 00:08:53,479 your nets for a catch now if you want to get a fisherman’s attention talk to him 88 00:08:53,479 –> 00:09:04,599 about a cache and that’s what Jesus does, He promises a catch, who can do that? 89 00:09:04,599 –> 00:09:11,539 and Peter gives this honest response verse 5, Master we toiled all night, we took 90 00:09:11,539 –> 00:09:20,659 nothing but at your Word I will let down the nets and now we get to the point of 91 00:09:20,659 –> 00:09:29,020 the story, four things happen in this story that I am praying will happen for 92 00:09:29,020 –> 00:09:41,659 us today. A man on the edge of the crowd sees the glory of Jesus. A man who’s been 93 00:09:41,659 –> 00:09:50,460 barely listening confesses his need to Jesus. A man who knows his own weakness 94 00:09:50,460 –> 00:09:57,580 finds hope in Jesus and a man who has been entirely preoccupied with his own 95 00:09:57,580 –> 00:10:08,440 business becomes a follower of Jesus. That’s what happens in the story, and by 96 00:10:08,440 –> 00:10:15,099 God’s grace made these things happen for us today. First then see the glory of 97 00:10:15,099 –> 00:10:19,440 Jesus. Verse four, And when he had finished speaking he said 98 00:10:19,440 –> 00:10:26,340 to Simon, I put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. Now remember 99 00:10:26,659 –> 00:10:32,080 there are two boats in the story. One belonged to Peter and the other to his 100 00:10:32,080 –> 00:10:38,500 business partners James and John. And verse six we’re told that Jesus got into 101 00:10:38,500 –> 00:10:44,880 Peter’s boat. Peter let down the net and when they had done this they enclosed a 102 00:10:44,880 –> 00:10:52,500 large number of fish and their nets were breaking. Peter had worked the entire 103 00:10:52,760 –> 00:10:58,880 night and he hadn’t caught a single thing. And now with Jesus in the boat 104 00:10:58,880 –> 00:11:05,940 there are so many fish he can’t pull them in. And so verse seven 105 00:11:05,940 –> 00:11:11,640 they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and to help them and 106 00:11:11,640 –> 00:11:19,460 they came and they filled both the boats so that they began to sink. And then Luke 107 00:11:19,739 –> 00:11:25,700 tells us verse nine that, Peter and all who were with him were astonished at the 108 00:11:25,700 –> 00:11:34,580 catch of fish they had taken. Astonished. Who is this who can bid fish jump into a 109 00:11:34,580 –> 00:11:44,179 net and the fish obey him? And you know Peter’s sense of wonder at Jesus grew as 110 00:11:44,179 –> 00:11:51,340 he followed Jesus. He was to see that the Lord Jesus Christ was not only able to 111 00:11:51,340 –> 00:11:56,840 bid fish jump into a net, he was able to speak to a storm and it would be still. 112 00:11:56,840 –> 00:12:01,260 And Peter and the others said who is this that even the winds and the waves 113 00:12:01,260 –> 00:12:09,140 obey him. He saw that Jesus could command powers of evil that possessed a man and 114 00:12:09,559 –> 00:12:17,859 terrorised a community and they left. He saw that the body of Jesus was laid in a 115 00:12:17,859 –> 00:12:23,020 tomb but on the third day he rose from the dead. Friends, the Lord Jesus Christ 116 00:12:23,020 –> 00:12:29,679 is unlike any other person who has ever lived. He speaks of God as his own 117 00:12:29,780 –> 00:12:43,900 Father. I and the Father are one. He’s God with us. And he knows your heart. He said 118 00:12:43,900 –> 00:12:50,919 on one occasion to some who were pushing him away I know that you do not have the 119 00:12:50,919 –> 00:12:58,020 love of God within you. Who in the world can speak like that? Who knows your heart? 120 00:12:58,400 –> 00:13:05,619 Answer? Jesus knows your heart. That’s when the book of Hebrews we read these 121 00:13:05,619 –> 00:13:12,419 words. No creature is hidden from His sight. All are naked and exposed before 122 00:13:12,419 –> 00:13:21,780 the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account. There’s no one else like Jesus 123 00:13:21,859 –> 00:13:27,780 Christ. He’s God with us. He knows your heart. He invites you to come 124 00:13:27,780 –> 00:13:34,219 to Him. He says, come to Me all you who are weary, those of you who labor and are 125 00:13:34,219 –> 00:13:44,059 heavy laden and I will give you rest. Who else could speak like that? He makes 126 00:13:44,200 –> 00:13:51,840 promises that no one else could ever make or keep. Whoever hears My Word, he 127 00:13:51,840 –> 00:13:58,840 says, and believes in Me, has eternal life. He can give you eternal life. 128 00:13:58,840 –> 00:14:04,359 He says, if you believe in Me, you have eternal life and you will not come into 129 00:14:04,359 –> 00:14:09,320 judgment because you have passed from death to life. That’s John chapter 5 and 130 00:14:09,320 –> 00:14:17,260 verse 24. Now, authentic discipleship begins when you see the glory of the 131 00:14:17,260 –> 00:14:22,140 Lord Jesus Christ, and this story is given to us, along with all the other 132 00:14:22,140 –> 00:14:30,219 stories about Jesus in the Gospels, so that we will see His glory. See the glory 133 00:14:30,219 –> 00:14:38,739 of Jesus. Second, confess your need to Jesus. Notice verse 8, 134 00:14:38,739 –> 00:14:46,140 “‘But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus knees saying, 135 00:14:46,479 –> 00:14:53,460 “‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord’”? 136 00:14:53,460 –> 00:15:03,780 Now, Peter had been happy to lend the use of his boat to Jesus. 137 00:15:03,780 –> 00:15:10,599 He had already referred to Jesus, if you look in verse 5, as Master. 138 00:15:10,659 –> 00:15:18,320 When Jesus told him to throw out the net, Peter did what he said despite the fact that 139 00:15:18,320 –> 00:15:22,479 he had toiled all night, and he had caught nothing. 140 00:15:22,479 –> 00:15:28,719 And I expect that if you had asked Peter, he would have described himself as a good 141 00:15:28,719 –> 00:15:40,159 person, a hard worker, devoted to his family, a man who believed in Jesus, and a man who 142 00:15:40,200 –> 00:15:50,000 tried hard to do what he said, but when Peter saw the glory of Jesus, he saw himself in 143 00:15:50,000 –> 00:15:52,780 an entirely different light. 144 00:15:52,780 –> 00:16:03,140 And he said, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 145 00:16:03,700 –> 00:16:06,940 Now why did Peter feel this? 146 00:16:07,919 –> 00:16:13,820 It could be that there was some particular sin in his life, something that he was ashamed 147 00:16:13,820 –> 00:16:19,299 of and just made him feel that he had to keep at a distance from Jesus. 148 00:16:20,460 –> 00:16:26,080 Perhaps that’s why he was on the edge of the crowd, and maybe you feel that you need to 149 00:16:26,080 –> 00:16:33,119 keep your distance from Jesus because of who you are or because of something that you have 150 00:16:33,119 –> 00:16:33,619 done. 151 00:16:34,619 –> 00:16:39,659 But I don’t think that Peter was thinking about one particular sin. 152 00:16:41,179 –> 00:16:51,340 I think he felt a complete and utter failure because he had tried being a disciple before 153 00:16:51,500 –> 00:16:53,140 and he couldn’t make it work. 154 00:16:53,460 –> 00:17:03,380 Now Matthew and Mark record an earlier event in which Jesus had previously 155 00:17:03,380 –> 00:17:06,540 called Peter, James and John. 156 00:17:07,479 –> 00:17:12,199 In Matthew chapter 4 and verse 19, Jesus says to Peter and the others, 157 00:17:12,660 –> 00:17:17,979 follow me and I will make you fissures of men. 158 00:17:18,939 –> 00:17:24,439 And Matthew tells us that immediately they left their nets and 159 00:17:24,439 –> 00:17:26,780 they followed him. 160 00:17:27,780 –> 00:17:32,079 Now some scholars believe that Luke 5 the story that we’re 161 00:17:32,079 –> 00:17:38,160 looking at today is simply a longer version of the same event recorded in 162 00:17:38,160 –> 00:17:41,199 Matthew 4 and in Mark chapter 1. 163 00:17:41,619 –> 00:17:46,540 But the differences are much more striking than the similarities. 164 00:17:46,540 –> 00:17:52,219 Matthew and Mark make no mention whatever of Jesus teaching the crowd 165 00:17:52,219 –> 00:17:54,000 by the edge of the lake. 166 00:17:54,000 –> 00:17:58,739 And they say nothing about this miraculous catch of fish. 167 00:17:59,859 –> 00:18:04,859 So it seems to me that there is an order of events that we can put together 168 00:18:04,859 –> 00:18:06,959 in Peter’s story. 169 00:18:07,040 –> 00:18:10,319 It began when his brother, Andrew, introduced him to Jesus 170 00:18:10,319 –> 00:18:14,400 and Jesus, recorded in John chapter one, gave to Simon 171 00:18:14,400 –> 00:18:17,119 the new name of Peter. 172 00:18:17,119 –> 00:18:20,719 It then continued, as recorded in Matthew chapter four, 173 00:18:20,719 –> 00:18:24,939 on the occasion where Jesus called Peter and James and John 174 00:18:24,939 –> 00:18:26,239 and said to them, 175 00:18:26,239 –> 00:18:29,160 Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. 176 00:18:29,160 –> 00:18:31,719 And they responded with a serious commitment, 177 00:18:31,719 –> 00:18:34,959 like some of us in the past made a serious commitment. 178 00:18:35,959 –> 00:18:40,339 They left their nets and followed him. 179 00:18:42,520 –> 00:18:46,959 But then something went wrong and Peter went back. 180 00:18:48,400 –> 00:18:52,420 And I think that’s why he was on the edge of the crowd. 181 00:18:54,560 –> 00:18:57,420 I’ve tried this before and I couldn’t keep it up. 182 00:18:59,040 –> 00:19:04,040 Jesus, the life that you’re calling me to is beyond me. 183 00:19:04,119 –> 00:19:06,119 I don’t have what it takes. 184 00:19:08,380 –> 00:19:13,060 I’m not your man, Jesus, you need someone else to part 185 00:19:13,060 –> 00:19:17,719 from me for I am a sinful man. 186 00:19:17,719 –> 00:19:19,180 I’ll only let you down. 187 00:19:22,000 –> 00:19:25,300 And maybe you’ve tried to live the Christian life 188 00:19:25,300 –> 00:19:27,060 and found that you couldn’t do it. 189 00:19:28,000 –> 00:19:34,099 It was just too hard, and that’s why you’re 190 00:19:34,099 –> 00:19:36,959 on the edge of the crowd. 191 00:19:36,959 –> 00:19:41,699 You sense that Jesus has something to offer, 192 00:19:41,699 –> 00:19:43,739 you wouldn’t be here otherwise. 193 00:19:43,739 –> 00:19:46,839 But you don’t think it’s for you. 194 00:19:48,719 –> 00:19:51,520 Depart from me. 195 00:19:51,520 –> 00:19:55,920 I am a sinful man, oh Lord. 196 00:19:57,920 –> 00:20:03,599 I love Peter’s honesty here. 197 00:20:03,599 –> 00:20:07,640 He doesn’t say I’ve made a few mistakes. 198 00:20:07,640 –> 00:20:12,640 He doesn’t say at least I’m sincere and honest. 199 00:20:12,640 –> 00:20:17,479 He doesn’t say I’m a very spiritual person. 200 00:20:17,479 –> 00:20:22,859 He says I am a sinful man. 201 00:20:22,859 –> 00:20:31,900 But here was Peter’s mistake and here was what he learned from Jesus and what we can 202 00:20:31,900 –> 00:20:35,079 discover today. 203 00:20:35,079 –> 00:20:41,760 Peter’s mistake was that he felt that his sin was the defining thing about him. 204 00:20:41,880 –> 00:20:44,439 You see what he’s saying? 205 00:20:44,439 –> 00:20:51,880 Jesus, I’m not your man because of who I am. 206 00:20:51,880 –> 00:20:59,239 I’m a sinful man and that’s all I’ll ever be. 207 00:20:59,239 –> 00:21:05,020 And that disqualifies me from being your disciple. 208 00:21:05,020 –> 00:21:10,819 Oh, oh yes, Jesus had said, I will make you fishers of men. 209 00:21:10,819 –> 00:21:15,959 Jesus had said, Peter the great project of your life is going to be to throw out the 210 00:21:15,959 –> 00:21:21,500 net of the gospel into the sea of the world and you will be drawing people onto the shore 211 00:21:21,500 –> 00:21:23,199 of Christ’s kingdom. 212 00:21:23,199 –> 00:21:27,020 But what kind of man can do that? 213 00:21:27,020 –> 00:21:30,719 Clearly he has to be some kind of a saint. 214 00:21:30,719 –> 00:21:36,699 And Peter knows that he is no saint, and so he said, no I’m not the one. 215 00:21:36,719 –> 00:21:37,719 This isn’t for me. 216 00:21:37,719 –> 00:21:40,760 I’ve tried it. 217 00:21:40,760 –> 00:21:49,420 Depart from me, for I am a sinful man. 218 00:21:49,420 –> 00:21:54,239 So glad this story is in the Bible, aren’t you? 219 00:21:54,239 –> 00:22:02,599 Don’t you know what it is to feel your own failure and then to lose your joy? 220 00:22:02,660 –> 00:22:08,800 Sin clings to all of us in such a way that we are never wholly free from it. 221 00:22:08,800 –> 00:22:17,680 And maybe you do feel that there are things in your life that make it impossible for you 222 00:22:17,680 –> 00:22:19,560 to be a disciple of Jesus. 223 00:22:19,560 –> 00:22:26,359 They’re just plain disqualifiers and that the best you could hope for is somehow to 224 00:22:27,319 –> 00:22:34,880 sidelines, a believer with very little to offer. 225 00:22:34,880 –> 00:22:39,640 And if that’s how you feel today, I really do have good news from the Scriptures for 226 00:22:39,640 –> 00:22:40,640 you. 227 00:22:40,640 –> 00:22:43,859 Your sin need not be the defining thing about you. 228 00:22:43,859 –> 00:22:47,359 Isn’t that good news? 229 00:22:47,359 –> 00:22:57,859 Jesus is calling you to be His disciple and Jesus will make you what He calls you to be. 230 00:22:57,859 –> 00:23:07,699 So, see the glory of Jesus, confess your need to Jesus. 231 00:23:07,699 –> 00:23:11,099 Third, find hope in Jesus. 232 00:23:11,140 –> 00:23:14,640 Look at these wonderful words in verse 10. 233 00:23:28,560 –> 00:23:34,040 Now, Jesus did not give up on Peter and the good news, very obviously from this wonderful 234 00:23:34,040 –> 00:23:38,239 story is that the Lord Jesus Christ will not give up on you. 235 00:23:38,239 –> 00:23:41,000 He knows you. 236 00:23:41,140 –> 00:23:44,760 And He knows what He can make of you. 237 00:23:44,760 –> 00:23:51,459 And the Lord Jesus Christ moves towards sinners like us. 238 00:23:51,459 –> 00:23:56,119 Notice that Jesus refers to Peter by His old name, Simon. 239 00:23:56,119 –> 00:24:01,760 Jesus said to Simon, that’s His old name, His original name, His birth name. 240 00:24:01,760 –> 00:24:06,640 And I suspect that Jesus called him Simon here because he was behaving like the person 241 00:24:06,640 –> 00:24:08,920 He used to be. 242 00:24:08,920 –> 00:24:13,219 The whole story is about how this man, Simon, becomes Peter. 243 00:24:13,219 –> 00:24:18,359 How the man he was becomes the man that Jesus is calling him to be. 244 00:24:18,359 –> 00:24:21,839 And He says, Simon, do not be afraid. 245 00:24:21,839 –> 00:24:26,160 That tells you that Peter’s first response was fear. 246 00:24:26,160 –> 00:24:29,000 He knows himself. 247 00:24:29,000 –> 00:24:34,079 And he knows himself so well that he just can’t see himself as a disciple of Jesus. 248 00:24:34,219 –> 00:24:37,119 Me, your disciple, you cannot be serious. 249 00:24:37,119 –> 00:24:38,300 You don’t know me. 250 00:24:38,300 –> 00:24:41,140 But Jesus does know him. 251 00:24:41,140 –> 00:24:46,420 And Jesus is calling Peter not because of what he is, but because of what Jesus can 252 00:24:46,420 –> 00:24:48,300 make him to be. 253 00:24:48,300 –> 00:24:51,680 Do not be afraid. 254 00:24:51,680 –> 00:24:56,579 Now, why should Peter not be afraid? 255 00:24:56,579 –> 00:25:02,140 Well, Jesus said, and it’s just a little later in this same chapter, in Luke chapter 5 in 256 00:25:02,160 –> 00:25:11,959 verse 32, Jesus said, I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 257 00:25:13,219 –> 00:25:16,060 Peter, you say I’m a sinful man. 258 00:25:16,060 –> 00:25:19,920 You’re precisely the person I’ve come to call. 259 00:25:19,920 –> 00:25:27,180 I can’t use people, Jesus would say, who feel that they’ve made it. 260 00:25:27,180 –> 00:25:32,199 He doesn’t call people who feel that they are on the right side of God. 261 00:25:32,199 –> 00:25:39,619 No, the people that Jesus calls are the people who know their sin and feel their need. 262 00:25:39,619 –> 00:25:44,439 They are the ones who are truly useful in His Kingdom. 263 00:25:46,920 –> 00:25:52,500 The fact that you’re a sinful man isn’t a disqualifier, Peter. 264 00:25:53,199 –> 00:25:59,880 It is precisely for everyone who would identify with what You have said that I came into the 265 00:25:59,880 –> 00:26:00,880 world. 266 00:26:00,880 –> 00:26:06,239 I came to call sinners to repentance. 267 00:26:06,239 –> 00:26:09,719 And then these wonderful words of Jesus in verse 10. 268 00:26:14,680 –> 00:26:19,800 And, of course, Jesus had called Peter the first time saying to him, 269 00:26:20,439 –> 00:26:22,880 I will make you fishers of men. 270 00:26:22,880 –> 00:26:28,119 And here quite clearly Jesus is reminding Peter of the original promise. 271 00:26:28,119 –> 00:26:35,640 Peter, I told you that I would make you a fisherman of men. 272 00:26:35,640 –> 00:26:37,699 You didn’t think I can do that with you. 273 00:26:37,699 –> 00:26:40,099 But what I said will come to pass now. 274 00:26:40,099 –> 00:26:46,560 From now on you will be catching men. 275 00:26:46,560 –> 00:26:52,040 And this was indeed a turning point in the life of Peter. 276 00:26:52,040 –> 00:26:55,040 From now on things will be different. 277 00:26:55,040 –> 00:26:58,479 From now on what Jesus said will increasingly happen. 278 00:26:58,479 –> 00:27:02,219 From now on you will be catching men. 279 00:27:02,219 –> 00:27:04,000 Do you see how wonderful this is? 280 00:27:04,000 –> 00:27:09,739 The Lord Jesus Christ is able to make you what He is calling you to be. 281 00:27:09,739 –> 00:27:13,760 That’s the hope of the gospel. 282 00:27:13,760 –> 00:27:18,540 And when you see that there really is only one possible response. 283 00:27:18,540 –> 00:27:23,939 And it is to become a follower of Jesus. 284 00:27:23,939 –> 00:27:26,719 Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. 285 00:27:26,719 –> 00:27:35,079 Well then, Jesus, if you are really able to make of my life what you’re calling me to 286 00:27:35,079 –> 00:27:39,280 be, then I must follow you. 287 00:27:40,000 –> 00:27:44,640 Verse 11, when they had brought their boats to 288 00:27:44,640 –> 00:27:51,859 land they left everything and followed him. 289 00:27:51,859 –> 00:27:56,400 Now try and picture this marvelous scene. 290 00:27:56,400 –> 00:28:04,180 It took two boats and their entire crews to haul in the nets that were filled with 291 00:28:04,180 –> 00:28:05,180 fish. 292 00:28:05,260 –> 00:28:16,079 This net of fish was so great that it was evidently nearly sinking two large boats and 293 00:28:16,079 –> 00:28:17,920 they barely made it back to the shore. 294 00:28:17,920 –> 00:28:24,619 Never in their lives had they pulled in such a catch of fish. 295 00:28:24,619 –> 00:28:33,020 And I can well imagine that Peter might have looked at Jesus and said oh we could really 296 00:28:33,199 –> 00:28:39,040 use you as a partner in this business. 297 00:28:39,040 –> 00:28:44,280 If you became a partner in what we’re doing, we would have the biggest fishing fleet the 298 00:28:44,280 –> 00:28:46,420 world has ever seen. 299 00:28:46,420 –> 00:28:51,500 That’s always the temptation isn’t it? 300 00:28:51,500 –> 00:29:00,680 To view the awesome power of Jesus as something that would be useful to us if only we could 301 00:29:00,680 –> 00:29:05,959 harness his power. 302 00:29:05,959 –> 00:29:09,560 But that’s not how Peter and the others respond. 303 00:29:09,560 –> 00:29:13,540 You see, they really have seen the glory of Jesus so they know that it’s about him and 304 00:29:13,540 –> 00:29:15,739 it’s not about them. 305 00:29:15,739 –> 00:29:19,640 And Luke tells us that they left everything and followed him. 306 00:29:19,640 –> 00:29:24,079 It doesn’t say that Jesus left everything in order to settle down with them. 307 00:29:24,479 –> 00:29:30,099 They left everything in order to follow him. 308 00:29:30,099 –> 00:29:39,380 They left the catch of their lives on the shore. 309 00:29:39,380 –> 00:29:41,040 Think about that. 310 00:29:41,040 –> 00:29:46,939 Well, it must have been a marvelous day for Zebedee, the father of James and John who 311 00:29:46,939 –> 00:29:49,459 no doubt took all the fish to market. 312 00:29:49,900 –> 00:29:54,260 And the crew of the two boats must have had the greatest bonus they ever enjoyed in their 313 00:29:54,260 –> 00:29:58,180 entire working lives. 314 00:29:58,180 –> 00:30:06,439 But Peter, James and John left the fish on the shore, and they followed Jesus because 315 00:30:06,439 –> 00:30:10,459 they’d seen his glory. 316 00:30:10,459 –> 00:30:17,520 And Peter never got over his sense of awe at the holiness of Jesus. 317 00:30:17,520 –> 00:30:28,339 But as he followed Jesus, he discovered what Jesus can do in the life of a flawed disciple. 318 00:30:28,339 –> 00:30:34,000 And that’s what I’m praying will happen for all of us today, and in the coming weeks 319 00:30:34,000 –> 00:30:41,020 as we continue this series, that we too will see the glory of Jesus. 320 00:30:41,020 –> 00:30:47,479 That we’ll get some glimpse of how great he is, the Son of God. 321 00:30:47,479 –> 00:30:49,579 Jesus is with God with us. 322 00:30:49,579 –> 00:30:56,920 The Lord Jesus Christ is greater by far than any of us in this room think he is. 323 00:30:56,920 –> 00:31:03,979 And there is nothing that is impossible for him. 324 00:31:03,979 –> 00:31:10,260 And when we come to see his glory, what will flow from that is that we will confess our 325 00:31:10,260 –> 00:31:13,239 need to him. 326 00:31:13,319 –> 00:31:18,359 We’ll move beyond this stuff about what a great guy I am. 327 00:31:18,359 –> 00:31:21,900 Oh yes and I’m a believer and I try and do this. 328 00:31:21,900 –> 00:31:23,839 No, no, no, no. 329 00:31:23,839 –> 00:31:28,040 When you see the glory of Jesus it does humble you. 330 00:31:28,040 –> 00:31:32,800 I’m a sinful man and in myself I don’t have what it takes to become the person that Jesus 331 00:31:32,800 –> 00:31:36,599 is calling me to be. 332 00:31:36,599 –> 00:31:43,219 But as we confess our need in Jesus, we also find hope in Jesus. 333 00:31:43,219 –> 00:31:47,420 Jesus did not come to call the righteous, those who think they’ve made it and are on 334 00:31:47,420 –> 00:31:50,260 the right side of God. 335 00:31:50,260 –> 00:31:54,760 He came to call sinners like us to repentance. 336 00:31:54,760 –> 00:32:05,020 He moves toward sinners like us and he is able to make us what he calls us to be. 337 00:32:05,020 –> 00:32:07,760 Follow Jesus. 338 00:32:07,760 –> 00:32:18,959 And as you do, you will discover what he can do in the life of a flawed disciple. 339 00:32:18,959 –> 00:32:23,819 Let’s pray together. 340 00:32:23,819 –> 00:32:36,020 Oh Jesus, you who could command fish and draw them into a net are able to draw human hearts 341 00:32:36,020 –> 00:32:42,000 that have been on the edge of things. 342 00:32:42,000 –> 00:32:48,359 You are able to draw human hearts to yourself. 343 00:32:48,359 –> 00:32:56,780 Father, we pray that we may have a greater sense of your glory, a greater sense of our 344 00:32:56,979 –> 00:33:03,979 need, a greater sense of joyful, lively hope in your ability to do more in and with us 345 00:33:07,780 –> 00:33:14,619 than we really imagine possible. And that therefore by your grace we will press hard 346 00:33:14,619 –> 00:33:20,880 after following you for these things we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. 347 00:33:21,880 –> 00:33:22,920 Amen. 348 00:33:24,719 –> 00:33:28,400 You’ve been listening to a sermon with Pastor Colin Smith, of Open The Bible. 349 00:33:28,400 –> 00:33:36,719 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN 365, or visit our website, OpentheBible.org.