January 19, 2025
Speaker:
God wants us to know that He sees us, He hears us and He’s doing a new thing among us. In Luke 5, we see Jesus calling some of the first disciples, this was a new thing, a new season, in Peter’s life.
When God calls you deeper: obey, even if you disagree. After a long night of fishing, their boats were empty. Peter was a professional fisherman, but he obeyed Jesus anyway. He was quitting. When we come to the end of our ability, we hear God’s invitation to step into his abundance.
When God calls you deeper: be ready to receive God’s grace. It’s hard for some of us to go deeper because we are unfamiliar with the grace of God. Yes, it extends to us for salvation, but when you encounter the abundance of God, you are more aware of your own frailty. The enemy says, “Shame on you,” but Jesus says, “Shame off you.”
When God calls you deeper: God will give you a new purpose. Peter obeys Jesus then follows him for three years he even walks on water. After Peter denied Jesus, he returns to fishing. The resurrected Jesus calls to Peter, filling the empty nets like before. Jesus extends grace and forgiveness, but he also reminds Peter of his purpose, to be a fisher of people. It’s Peter who launches the new church on the day of Pentecost.
1. In what area of your life have you come to the end of your ability?
2. What area of your life is God asking you to have an “if you say so,” attitude? What step can you take to obey?
3. Describe a time where you didn’t obey, and you expected God’s punishment and instead received grace.
4. What’s the last thing you heard God say to you?
Luke 5: 1-11 - One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
John 21: 1-19 - Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.[a] It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus[b]), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish…17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”… Jesus said, “Feed my sheep… 19 Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
Isaiah 43:19 - See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
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