Sermons
April 27th, 2023 by Pastor Solley042323AM Useful Obedience
Sub. Usefulness for Jesus
Theme: Peter, useful through obedience.
Text: Luke 5:1-11
“Useful Obedience” Luke 5:1-11
Introduction
It is my thought this morning that the majority of born again believers want to be useful to the Lord Jesus Christ. That the majority of those who are truly born again, realizing just how much Jesus Christ has done for them, want to be at least somewhat useful for their savior. I think that to be true. I also think that it is true that most do not know exactly how to be or become useful for Christ. And add to that the majority of believers believe that they have not really done all that much for Christ or have been all that useful for Jesus Christ. That feeling extends to pastors as well. Have we really made a difference, an impact for Jesus Christ? With all that Jesus has done for us, have we really done all that much for Him, have we been useful for our Lord and Savior?
I. I want to look at becoming useful for Jesus Christ this morning: In doing so we are going to look at Peter. – Luke 5:1-11 – Peter is an example of one becoming useful to Jesus Christ through simple obedience.
A. When we meet Peter in this passage he is already a saved man: But at this point he is the same as most of us in this room today.
1. The account of his coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is found in John 1: That occurs before this. His brother Andrew was saved, then he tells Peter about Jesus and brings him to Jesus and Peter as well is born again.
2. Then Peter, a saved man continues with his life: He was a commercial fisherman by trade, had his own ships and business in partnership with some others, was married and was providing for him family.
3. Peter was not an educated man: He is later called unlearned and ignorant. Not an educated man.
4. Peter has also witnessed how his savior could work in his life: Lk 4:38-39 When they besought Jesus they prayed. Peter prayed and saw Jesus answer his prayer.
5. Peter at this point in his life is no different than any of us in this room this morning who know Jesus Christ as our savior: He is a believer but not yet a disciple who left all to follow Jesus. He is a believer but far from the apostle he would become. He is a believer but not yet the one Jesus would give the keys to the kingdom of heaven. He is a believer but not yet the one who would open the door and give the gospel message to the gentiles.
B. So how did Peter get to the point that he would be named an apostle, would be one of the inner circle, would be trusted with those keys to the gospel and the one who would open the door of salvation to the gentiles? How did peter get to that point in his life, to the point that Jesus could use him is such a great and mighty way?
II. Peter got to that point through simple obedience to Jesus: There are several things found in the first part of Luke 5 that moved Peter to a place where he was found useful to Jesus Christ. Steps Peter took that made him useful for Jesus. What we find in this account was it was simple obedience to Jesus. All Peter did was obey Jesus.
PROP: Is it your desire, is it mine today to be useful to Jesus? TS. To be useful is going to demand simple obedience.
Body
I. Jesus is at this point early in His earthly ministry: We know that immediately after His baptism Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. That account is at the beginning of Luke 4. Peter would have been saved Just after Jesus returned and began preaching and teaching.
A. The multitudes then began to follow Jesus: Luke 4:14-15 ; Luke 4:31-32 The first thing that attracted the multitudes was the preaching and teaching ministry of Jesus. Remember the Bible tells us that the Word of God will not return void. If that is said of the preaching of the Word of God by men how much more than when Jesus would preach the Word?
1. Then the miracles begin: Luke 4:33-36 And so what takes place?
2. More and more people begin to seek out Jesus: Luke 4:37 , 42-44 There were great multitudes of people following after Jesus. Witness the five thousand men and the four thousand men and miraculous feeding. Those crowds were most likely upwards of fifteen to twenty thousand people because only the men were counted.
B. Now Jesus stands preaching and the people pressed upon Him: Luke 5:1 The word press here means the people were pushing against Jesus, more and more trying to get close to Jesus.
1. It would be like the people thronging Jesus when the woman with the issue of blood was healed: People pressing against Jesus.
2. When Jesus trued to stop and preach He would be pushed along: Luke 5:1
3. Jesus now needed a platform: A place where He could stop and preach and the people would not push Him along.
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II. Peter, can I use your ship? Luke 5:2-3a This fishing vessel was beached, there was no dock. After a night of fishing the fishermen would beach the ship so they could get the fish to market, clean the nets in the water along the shore, get them back into the ship, cover them, and then get some rest before another night of fishing. That was the process.
A. This ship Jesus got into was Peter’s: Luke 5:2-3a I don’t believe yet to cast off, just to get in.
1. With the ship beached the bow would be up in the air, the stern lower in the water and it would give Jesus a place to stand and preach where he was above the people and could be seen and heard: Just like a pulpit on a platform in a church setting.
2. Now Jesus could stand and preach and not be pushed along by the people: And more people could hear Jesus preach and teach.
3. Jesus needed a platform and now He had one: Peter, can I use your ship?
B. Did this present a hardship for Peter? Somewhat it did. For Peter to give Jesus use of his ship the work he was doing had to stop.
1. Washing the nets involved bringing them over the side of the ship, little by little, and washing all the seaweed and other debris out of the nets, then placing them back into the ship and covering them to protect them from the sun: Doing this would make the ship rock back and forth, part of it on the land, part of it in the water. So they would have to stop this washing process.
2. Now, when would they get it done? They can’t fish with dirty nets so they had to be cleaned before they would go out again.
3. When would they get some rest? They had been out all night fishing and would go out when nightfall came.
4. How long would Jesus preach? There were no time limits on the messages Jesus preached.
5. This did present a hardship for Peter and those in the fishing business with him:
C. Peter, can I use your ship? Peter said yes and more and more people could hear Jesus preach. Peter was becoming useful to Jesus in this very simple thing, a simple step of obedience.
1. How many people were born again because Peter obeyed we do not know: I do know his obedience gave Jesus a platform from which Jesus could preach and the Word of God never returns void.
2. Peter was useful to Jesus:
D. Peter, can I use your ship?
III. Peter, thrust out a little from the land: Luke 5:3 Now Jesus asks Peter to thrust out a little from the shore, another request.
A. Why this command we are not told for sure: Was Jesus in His humanity getting tired and needed to sit? Were more and more people pressing against the shoreline, the bow of the ship, and it would be better to cast off just a little? We are not sure.
1. But we do know that because Jesus could sit the message went on: Luke 5:3 If in His humanity Jesus was wearing down He now had a place to sit and the message could go on. If more and more people were arriving and Jesus needed to cast off just a little from the land the message could go on.
2. But now more people are hearing more of the preaching of Jesus: Luke 5:3
B. This presents another hardship for Peter: Nets could not be left on the shore and they could not be put away unclean.
1. If they were left on the shore line the multitude of people would step on them breaking them: So they all had to be placed in the ship no matter if they had been cleaned or not and if not that job still remained.
2. If they were stored and covered they would dry out and that would make cleaning harder when they did it: And now they still had not rested.
3. They could not fish again until those nets were cleaned: It would just make things harder.
4. But Peter obeyed: Luke 5:3
C. Now Peter is becoming even more useful to the Lord: Jesus was in the ship, now out from the shoreline and now Peter is for sure with Jesus in the ship. Peter was becoming more useful for Jesus.
1. Peter, can I use your ship? And people were hearing the gospel message from Jesus.
2. Peter, thrust out just a little: And now more people were hearing more of the gospel from Jesus.
3. And now Peter is in the ship with Jesus: If Peter wasn’t before he is now with Jesus in the ship.
D. Peter, thrust out just a little: And Peter is becoming more useful for Jesus.
IV. Peter, launch out into the deep: Luke 5:4a This is a command related to the others but it does not seem to be related to the preaching and teaching of Jesus that was going on at the time.
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A. Voices do carry over water but the farther one is away the harder it will be to hear and understand: The first of those commands all make the preaching of the gospel easier for the multitude to hear. Peter was useful in obeying those commands.
1. Jesus needed a platform from which to speak because the people were pressing upon Him: Peter gave Jesus his ship to use.
2. Jesus needed to be out from the shoreline a little so He could sit and the message go on: Peter thrust out a little. Even then the voice of Jesus would be carried across the water.
3. But why move even farther out onto the water, why move farther away? Surely this is going to hinder the preaching and not help.
B. This presents even another hardship for Peter: The nets are not being cleaned, the day is passing by, the preaching now seems to be over, so why not get back to the shore, let Jesus off the ship, and get back to the work that needed to be done?
1. But Peter obeys and he does launch out into the deep: I am sure this is a command that Peter did not understand.
a. They can’t fish. It is day and the nets have not be cleaned.
b. They move far from the shore and the people could no longer hear Jesus.
c. The preaching is over.
2. So why launch out into the deep? I would not understand this command.
3. But Peter obeyed: Luke 5:4a And at the first there are no clear reasons for this command or reasons to obey.
4. But Peter obeyed: Peter gave Jesus his ship, Peter was in the ship, Peter launched out. Peter was becoming more useful for Jesus.
C. Peter, launch out into the deep: Luke 5:4a And Peter obeyed. Peter was becoming more useful for Jesus.
V. Peter, let down your nets for a draught: Luke 5:4 This command harder to understand than the one to launch out.
A. What Jesus said here is not going to happen under the current circumstances: All you need to do is follow this through and you can see it is a command that would be very hard to understand.
1. They had been washing their nets but they were not finished: The reason they washed them each morning was because it was much more difficult to catch fish in dirty nets.
a. Dirty nets were heavier and harder to handle.
b. Dirty nets did not spread out like clean ones did in the water.
c. Their nets were dirty.
2. It was the middle of the day most likely: Fishing was not as good as it was in the night time hours.
3. They were tired, Peter was tired: He had yet to get any sleep and would not be at his best.
4. Besides they had fished that spot all night and had caught nothing: Luke 5:5
5. If Peter was going to say no to Jesus this would be the time: Peter gave Jesus a platform, thrust out a little, launched out, Peter obeyed in all of those things. But why let down those dirty nets when there was not going to catch any, much less a draught.
B. But once more Peter obeyed: Luke 5:5-6 Peter once again obeyed and Peter was rewarded. But no one was more surprised than Peter with the possible exception of his partners in the fishing business.
1. Jesus entered into one ship, not two: Luke 5:1-3 We have no indication that the other ship had followed Peter. James and John had the other ship but it does not say they followed Peter. Jesus entered into one ship, not two. Jesus had one ship thrust out from the land, not two. Jesus had one ship launch out into the deep, not two. Jesus commanded one ship to let down the nets, not two.
2. Now the partners are summoned to help with the great catch of fish: Luke 5:7
C. Peter is once again because of his obedience becoming more useful for Jesus: Now because of the obedience of Peter others are seeing the greatness of God in his life. What was taking place would not make sense to his partners.
1. Peter obeyed in giving the ship for Jesus to use: People heard the gospel because Peter obeyed.
2. Peter obeyed in thrusting out a little: More people heard the gospel and the preaching went on because Peter obeyed.
3. Peter launched out: Not a command easy to understand but Peter obeyed. Peter was with Jesus and he obeyed.
4. Now let down the nets and because Pelter obeyed a miracle took place: Luke 5:5-7
5. Peter became very useful and was rewarded because he obeyed the commands of Jesus: Useful obedience.
D. Peter, let down your nets for a draught: Luke 5:4 Peter was useful and rewarded.
VI. Now with one more command the life of Peter was changed for the better and forever: Luke 5:8-11 This comes in the form of a command in the other gospel accounts. Peter, follow me. – Luke 5:10
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A. Once more Peter obeyed: Luke 5:11 Now forever the life of Peter was changed and Peter was useful for Jesus,
1. Because Peter obeyed in very simple things Peter became useful for Jesus:
2.Because Peter obeyed the gospel was preached:
3. Because Peter obeyed miracles took place:
4. Because Peter obeyed his life was changed forever and for the better:
B. In Peter we see a model of useful obedience: Because Peter obeyed he became useful for Jesus.
V. If you want to be useful for the Lord, if I want to be useful for the Lord obedience is the key: We could go as far as to say that none of us can be useful for our Lord and Savior if we do not obey.
A. But how obedient are you to the commands of Jesus: The words in the Bible are the very words Jesus would say to you if He were to stand in front of you today. The very words Jesus would say to be today.
1. This is His living Word: Heb 4:12
2. This is His eternal Word: Ps 119:144
3. This is His preserved Word: Ps 119:144
4. And this is His Word for you today:
B. Do you obey in the simple things as Peter did? I am not going to go over the commands of God this morning but do you obey in the simple things as Peter did?
1. We are commanded to read our Bibles: 1 Thess 5:27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
2. We are commanded to pray: 1 Thess 5:17 Pray without ceasing. Did you know it is a sin not to pray? – 1 Sam 12:23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
3. We are commanded to be thankful: 1 Thess 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
4. We are commanded to be in the house of God: Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
5. Do you obey in the simple things?
C. If we want to be useful for the Lord Jesus Christ we need to obey: Useful obedience.
D. When we obey we are rewarded and our lives change for the better:
E. If you want to be useful for the Lord, if I want to be useful for the Lord obedience is the key:
Conclusion
In Peter we see an example of useful obedience for Jesus.
I. Peter, give me your ship: And the gospel was preached by Jesus.
II. Peter, thrust out: And more people heard the gospel and message went on.
III. Peter, launce out: Peter obeyed.
IV. Peter, let down your nets for a draught: Peter obeyed and his life was changed forever and for the better.
V. Is it your desire to be useful for the Lord Jesus Christ today? Then we need to obey.
VI. Is it your desire for your life to be changed for the better today? Then we need to obey.