Our sermon today is by Michele WhiteEagle (pictured). Michele is the Region 4 Board Chair of Mennonite Disaster Service. Region 4 is comprised of 6 units and 235 congregations. This region covers 1,283,934 square miles and includes Alaska, Hawaii, Pacific Ocean protectorates such as Guam, NMI and Micronesia. Michele is preaching on Luke 5:1-11.

What does it mean to be a fisher of men?

Today we have the hindsight to know what Jesus was saying, but what must Simon have thought when Jesus proclaimed those words? At this point in Luke, we know Simon has some knowledge of Jesus. Simon’s brother, Andrew, was a follower of John the Baptist. Andrew must have heard John talking about the Spirit descending on Jesus at his baptism and when John declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” Andrew followed Jesus.

When Andrew finds his brother he told him, “We have found the Messiah” and he brought Simon to meet Jesus. Jesus even tells Simon he will be called Cephas or Peter – a nod to the transformation that is ahead. Did Simon perceive it? Are you aware of the ways Jesus is looking to encounter you? Surely Simon had heard about Jesus visiting his home and healing his mother-in-law. So now we see Jesus is preaching to the crowd that is pressing in on him. Could Simon sense the hunger in the air? What must that environment been like? How do you press into Jesus? What drives you to seek Him? Thinking about how Jesus relocated to the boat caused me to ponder, would my pressing in move Jesus? Would yours?

James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”
Jesus approached Simon where he was, using language he understood, speaking as a fisherman. Jesus finishes preaching and turns his attention to Simon, asking him to go to deeper water and let down his nets. Immediately Simon has an excuse, or maybe it is more of a complaint, it certainly seems he lacked faith in what Jesus was asking him to do.

When I read the word ‘deeper’ my mind went right to Ezekiel 47. You know the passage- The angel takes Ezekiel outside the Temple to see the stream flowing from it. The angel measured a distance and he and Ezekiel walked across the stream with the water reaching up to their ankles. The angel measured another distance, and they crossed again in water up to their knees. This repeated and they crossed in water up to the waist. And again, the measurement but this time they found depths that required them to swim across as they could no longer walk. In journeying with Jesus, we are invited to go deeper with Him the further we go. Jesus calls us to be strengthened as we live, and move, and have our being in Him. Acts 17:28

I think of new Believers feeding on milk, but when we become mature, we are to feast on the meat of the Word. Going deeper with Jesus speaks of a deepening of relationship, of growing in faith and trust. Going deeper speaks of intimacy with Jesus. Psalms 42:7 Deep calls to deep. When facing the rivers of life that threaten to sweep you away you have a deep faith and trust that God sustains you as His word promises. I can’t read Psalms without seeing the intimacy Jesus has with us, Psalms 139. David’s longing to be with the Lord in Psalms 63 is full of intimacy. In John, Jesus talks about being one with us as he and the Father are one. 1 Corinthians 6:17 uses the language of being joined with the Lord is to be one spirit with Him.

Think about your intimacy with Jesus, how would you characterize it? Jesus instructs Simon to let down his nets. The call to come deeper with Jesus precedes the call to fish. Our work in the Kingdom, our partnership with Christ comes after we have accepted the invitation. Jesus tells us in John 15 that he is the vine, we are the branches, we must be joined in Him and remain in Him to be fruitful, for “No branch can bear fruit in itself”.

Simon, tired, gives his excuse to Jesus, he lacked faith that he would be fruitful in the endeavor as his previous experience was dictating what he thought about the future. Are you like Simon, or like me, at times relying on my own understanding rather than putting full faith in what Jesus says? It had not been very long before that Simon had heard and maybe even saw Jesus healing people in his hometown, but here he is again, questioning. To his credit, even though it makes no sense and he is questioning, Simon chooses to obey Jesus.

I think of Matthew 7:24 The one who chooses to obey is like the one who builds his house upon rock of which no storm can take out. Isaiah 55:8 “The Lord says, “My thought are not your thought neither are your ways my ways.” Jesus will guide us in ways that are different than what we might think. I wonder, what if Simon had turned Jesus down? I tend to think Jesus would have continued to pursue Simon. Think of the things Simon did in his life journey with Christ.

• Walked on water- a demonstration of faith.
• The confession of Christ
• Miraculous release from prison
• A leader amongst the Apostles
• Performed miracles of healing / his shadow healed people
• Authored 2 Epistles
• Led the church.
• Preached to the Samaritans and the Gentiles (where might we be without that?)

What might be at stake if we choose to ignore Jesus’ invitation to come deeper?

Continuing in the Luke passage:
Simon has obeyed and now he has a tremendous haul of fish, so much that he must call for help. It should go without saying, but I will, we do the work of Christ together in community as the Body, each of us in the way Christ has called and gifted us. In this large catch of fish Jesus has revealed himself to Simon. Simon had lacked faith but now he sees Jesus and himself differently. I wonder, what did this miracle symbolize to Simon? Was it the provision? The foreknowing? The power over creation? Whatever spoke so deeply to Simon it left him amazed, in wonder and awe, so much so that Simon realizes and acknowledges his sin.

How has Jesus revealed himself to you? How have you responded? What is it about Jesus that brings you to a place of wonder and awe?

Jesus reassures Simon about his sin, “Don’t be afraid!”

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Jesus is thinking about what lies beyond. Simon has accepted the invitation, he has obeyed, he has repented of his sin, and in this moment, Jesus reveals purpose. “You’ll be fishing for people!” Did it make sense to Simon? Whatever Simon’s thoughts were inthat moment, he acted on the opportunity of a lifetime!

If we jump ahead, we see the results in Acts 2:40, in Peter’s first sermon three thousand people were added to the church.

Philippians 2:13 It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.
Mark 8:34 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take us his cross and follow me.”
Romans 10:17 Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Romans 10:14 How then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Being a fisher of men is to preach through your life, modeling the attributes of Christ, being in unity and being identified by your love, sharing your testimony, and issuing the invitation.
James 5:20 Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Isaiah 55 Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; vs 3 Give ear and come to me; I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. Vs6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Listen to David, Psalms 71:15-18, 24 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long-though I know not how to relate them all. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone. Sinch my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. Vs 24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long….

Let us look at the results of going deeper in Ezekiel 47:6-12: 6  He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank.  7  When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river.  8  Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. [a]  The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure.  9  There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. [b]  Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows.  10  Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from Engedi to Eneglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean. [c]   11  But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty.  12  Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”

I will end on this quote by Chris Hendrix
We each have the River of Life in us. It comes from the Spring of Heaven and passes thru our hearts. It is not intended to stay in us, it is designed to flow out of us to others. The closer we keep it to ourselves, the more shallow it is. The further we let it go, the deeper it becomes and has a greater effect. Too many times we try to bottle us that never flowing out of us. We do not want to offend. We do not want to force our religion on others. We hold it in so we can fit in. The problem with all of that is that we withhold life from others when we do that. It all start inside of you.

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