Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. His intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services. Today, that tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from The University Chapel platform. Today's speaker is Dr. Bruce Meyer, a seminary professor at Bob Jones University. So wonderful to be with you this morning. Always a privilege to open God's word to you and to share that truth with you. I love that song.
That song impresses my heart with great truth, and our hearts then become, our lives, if we could say that, become one big thank you note back to God for all that he's done in our lives throughout these years, through salvation, through the growth that he is instilling in us. And that's really what our message is about. What impresses you?
I think there's probably a lot of things. Maybe sports figures impress you, maybe certain leaders, what have you. But I fear too often that right now we are too impressed, and maybe that's not the right word, but maybe discouraged, with the magnitude of the decay of our society. When you look at this world, do you wonder how in the world can I possibly share the Gospel with folks in this world when we are so controlled by secularism, pluralism, atheism, polytheism maybe, postmodernism, all the isms that seem to just drive the beliefs of the world around us. So how can we possibly be effective with the Gospel? Next week is Go Week, so you're going to hear a lot more about that theme next week, but I think it would do us well to just consider from the Scriptures, how does God work in our hearts in a way to impress us with the truth of who Jesus is? The truth of the Gospel that has utterly transformed your life in such profound ways. And that impression as it works in our life, then, works to motivate us.
To change us, of course. But to motivate us to share that impressive God with others. And the more we become impressed with Him, then the more impressed we are with the truth, with His Word.
Impressed with how He changes my life and yours so that we want to share that with others. So this morning I want to look at a person who became impressed with Jesus. It's a person, you know him, it's Peter. You know Peter had his flaws. So when I talk about how impressed he was with Jesus, you also understand and maybe identify with some of the flaws that Peter faced in his own life that sometimes could be discouraging. Sometimes could set him back from following the Lord. Our text this morning, Peter has already experienced Jesus in some profound ways. In fact, we learn in John chapter 1, by this time, the disciples have probably been following Jesus off and on for a year.
So they see him, sometimes they're not with him. We also learn in Mark chapter 1 that they've toured with him. In Mark chapter 4, actually Luke chapter 4, Peter has seen Jesus do a miracle that was very personal for him because his mother-in-law had become ill with a very severe fever. And Jesus heals her.
And that's our preceding context here. Would you turn with me please to Luke chapter 5. We're going to study verses 1 through 11 and what we're going to see is observe Peter as he watched Jesus do something that is very personal for Peter.
Very striking for him in fact. In fact, it works against everything that Peter knows to do. So it's a real challenge to Peter's understanding of how things work. So if you have doubts or fears about how Jesus can work through you personally, I hope you'll just pay close attention to how Jesus works in Peter's life in this incident and see how he transforms Peter's understanding of ministry, of the gospel, and most importantly of who Jesus is. So let's look at the text and just take a notice of what you see here as we read through it. We're going to work through this and I'm just going to highlight some of the events of this story. And as you see those events, put yourself in Peter's shoes.
Try to identify with him. What would he be thinking at each of these stages of this story? So beginning in verse 1, Luke chapter 5. It came to pass that as the people pressed upon him, that is Jesus, to hear the word of God.
So they know this is the man who is going to share those words with us. He stood by the lake of Gennesaret. That's the Sea of Galilee. And he saw two ships standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets. So it's been a long night of fishing for them. Now they're wrapping up their nets, washing them, hanging them out to dry, hoping to go home to catch some sleep. And verse 3, Jesus entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and he prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land and he sat down and taught the people out of the ship.
And you say, that's a little bit odd, but you can imagine what's happening here. Jesus, as he's teaching, the crowd is pressing in closer and closer to him, and he's backing up, and he has no more room to back up. So he jumps into one of the boats and he says to Peter, let's push off a little bit from the shore, and he'll now use that as a pulpit. And the nature of the water and the land there just kind of helps move his voice towards the crowds, and it gives him a little separation from the crowds so he doesn't feel so crowded. And I'm sure Peter at this time is thinking, okay, I hope he's not going to go too long here.
If he goes over 11.35, I'm going to miss lunch, and I really need some sleep. So Peter's probably eager to hear the words, but he's also thinking, boy, it's been a long night and we're about to find out what a long night it was. And so Peter listens. Jesus finishes his message. We're not told what he preaches, but we can imagine from some of his other messages maybe what he preached. So Jesus teaches the crowds and Peter.
Not much significant there for us. But I want you to notice verse 4. Now, when Jesus had left speaking, he said to Simon, launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draught, a massive catch of fish. Now if you're Peter at this point, you're thinking, wait a minute, I've been out all night because look at what he says. Simon answering said unto him, and if you're thinking now, you say, wait a minute, Peter can't say to Jesus, Jesus, you don't know what you're doing. Jesus is God.
Now maybe he's not 100% convinced of that, but he knows he can't just outright contradict Jesus. So what does he say? Look with me. He says, Master, we have been working, we've toiled. Does that word grab your attention? I have worked my fingers to the bone all night long.
I've toiled. And we've taken nothing. We came back empty handed. No fish.
None. And now you're asking me to launch out into the deep, which that's absolutely contrary to the way you fish the Sea of Galilee. Fishermen in the Sea of Galilee, they will go out fishing all night because that's when the fish come to the surface, it's cooler. So you can cast your nets, you catch those fish, but when it's daytime, you don't fish because those fish go down deeper where it's cooler.
Their nets weren't equipped for that. You don't go out into the deep with those nets. So Peter's thinking here, how foolish am I going to look at the Union Hall tomorrow when my fellow fishermen say, what in the world were you doing fishing in the daytime, Peter?
Well, Jesus told me to. Yeah, but what does he know about fishing? You're the fisherman. You're the expert, right?
Yeah. But I was just following orders. So imagine the dilemma he feels here.
He can't really contradict Jesus. So here's what he says. Okay, it's your word. I'll let down the nets. So he goes ahead and fishes.
But I want you to notice what happens. Verse six. And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net began to break. And they beckoned unto their partners.
So this is a nice fishing business now. James and John probably his partners because we see them as the trio out fishing often. And he beckons to them, the other ship, that they would come and help. And they came and they filled both the ships so that they began to sink. Now, if you're Peter at this point, what are you thinking?
You business majors who are thinking about going out, maybe entrepreneurial business that you start. And you start a business and Jesus is guiding that business so much that you are making millions of dollars. Isn't that maybe what Peter is thinking right now?
That's what I would expect. I would expect to hear from Peter now, wow, Lord, this is amazing. And numbers spinning through his mind.
Click, click, click, click, click and it's clicking so fast he can't even tabulate. Like in one night, okay, one day we've caught this many fish in just that fast? My goodness, we could have a fishing enterprise that is unmatched by anybody.
I could retire by 50. Wouldn't you be thinking that way? So Jesus here has issued to Peter a stunning order. It's stunning because this is outside the norms. It is contrary to everything Peter knew to do about fishing.
But he obeys. And so against all odds and conventional wisdom, they start hauling in this catch that is the catch of the lifetime. You can almost hear Peter thinking now, man, wait until the guys at the union all hear about this. They won't believe it. Because I've told them other fishing stories that they didn't believe, but this one exceeds all of those. But I've got witnesses. James and John can share what we actually hauled from one haul of fish.
That's not Peter's response either. Now, I want you to know how big this catch is. These boats, and there was back, I think it was in the 80s or so, not that long ago, I know for you that's ancient history, but there was a first century boat that was discovered in the Sea of Galilee. They had a drought that year, so the waters receded, and they could see the shape of this fishing boat. So it was excavated and is now in a museum in Galilee.
You can see it. So the average fishing boat at that time was between 20 to 30 feet. That's about the length of a UPS truck. So you start thinking about two of those boats that are filled with fish.
What a haul! So how's Peter going to respond? Well, he's stunned by this miracle.
But you know what? He's even more startled by Jesus. You see this from time to time. If you look through the Gospels, you'll see, okay, they're out in the Sea of Galilee and the wind is so horrid. And the waves are breaking over the bow of the boat, and they think they're going to sink and die. And Jesus is asleep. And they wake Him up and say, do you not care? They were about to perish. And Jesus stands up and He says, peace be still. And the waves are suddenly calm and the winds disappear.
And they ask this question, who is this? That even the winds and the waves obey His voice. See, they're becoming more and more convinced that Jesus is God. What amazing power that He has. So I think not only is Peter stunned by Jesus' order here, but he's also startled by Jesus' power.
By His authority. Because look with me at what Peter says here. Because it's not what we expect. Verse 8, when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees saying, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
Is that what you would expect? What was it that drove Peter, though, to that response? It was when he saw the impressiveness of who Jesus is. When he saw, man alive, here is, this is a person now who understands even my business, my personal needs, my personal struggles, my weakness that I couldn't catch fish last night. And he's able to alleviate my concerns.
That's amazing. And it's not just here, it's every story you read in the Gospels, you see how Jesus knows. He understands. He comes alongside of people and their weaknesses. He reinforces their beliefs. He teaches them those truths that are contrary to what they've often accepted.
And he ministers to them. So Peter is absolutely stunned and startled by Jesus' power. And so what you see here, though, is instead of Jesus saying, you're right Peter, you're a loser.
Why am I hanging around with you? Jesus' response is even more startling. Because you'll notice here that what he does is he says to Peter, you know what Peter, I've got a new job for you now.
And read it with me. Verse 9, for he was astonished. And all that were with him at the draw to the fishes which they had taken.
And so was also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, fear not. Don't you love those words? Often are you fearful, especially when? We heard Ethan's testimony yesterday, remember?
He talked about all these people who started to ask him questions, and you could start to be rather concerned at that point about, oh boy, do I have the answers for them. Do you realize you know your Bible is far better than anybody out on the street? You know the Gospel. You have experienced that Gospel in your life.
You've witnessed that miraculous change in you. So don't be intimidated. But when you are, guess what? The Holy Spirit living in you, and Jesus through him says to you through his word, fear not. You know why? Because he's always with us. The Great Commission, lo, I'm with you always, even in the end of the age. We don't need to be afraid. I know.
We have this pressure on us. Will I say the right words or will it redirect somebody away from Jesus? That's not likely to happen because you know what you know.
And all you have to do is say, here's what Jesus has done in my life. Let me tell you about it. And so you'll notice here, fear not, from henceforth you shall catch men. It's different from fishing because fishing, you're catching them alive, but you're about to flay them and eat them. In this case, we're catching people. And it's not us who does the catching.
That's the point of this whole story. Peter, against your wisdom, against everything you know about fishing, I'm going to fish through you. And you will now catch men alive for the purpose of rescuing them.
Isn't that wonderful? Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all and followed him. So Peter was first stunned by Jesus' order. Then he's startled by this request.
Let's go out and fish. But even more, he is surprised by Jesus' grace. Because instead of saying to Peter, get lost, he says, you know what? I'm going to work through you to accomplish now significant ministry that you could never accomplish without me.
So what do we learn from this? Well, the best catch ever. And the question is, when you consider this promise to Peter, was it true in Peter's life? Well Acts chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost, Peter stands up and preaches to the very people before whom he had denied Jesus, not too many days before this, about 50 days. And he stands up and he points his bony finger at those same people and he says, you crucified your Messiah. And I call you to repent today. And 3,000 souls trusted Christ at that very moment. Did Peter catch men?
He did. And you know, the same promises that Jesus makes to them, He's made to us. Lo, I'm with you always. You go and you make disciples of others and I'm going to be working in those hearts to draw men and women to Jesus Christ through you, through your message, through your testimony. So what do we learn? Well, my greatest fear, inadequacy, society's hardness, you name it, I've got them. But they're no match for the greatness of the Savior.
So here's the truth, if you're looking for the punchline of the message, here it is. Those who are startled by Jesus' greatness, every time we look in the Word we ought to be startled by His greatness. And surprised by His grace, you've experienced that surprising grace, haven't you? They will find Him sufficient.
Let's add a word to that. Powerfully sufficient in accomplishing significant ministry. So when you wonder about, oh man, I graduate and I'm out there in the workplace and I'm working with people who are so secular they don't even know about God.
They think the Bible is a book of myths, that it's not to be trusted. How do I minister in this world? Well just remember, you and I are merely witnesses. We share what we know and it is the power of the Spirit, the power of the Gospel and God's Word that works in those lives to draw those men and women to salvation.
So let's think practically. We serve Jesus best when we are impressed with Him. Initially Peter is overwhelmed by his own failures. I'm a sinner, depart from me.
I think he's concerned about both his fishing failures and his personal failures. Then he becomes overwhelmed by the greatness and the grace of Christ. So I think that calls us to know Him. The more we know Him, the more impressive He is to us.
He is an infinite God which means He is capable of infinite impressiveness to us. We serve God best when we are empowered by Him. We must recognize that whenever ministry seems overwhelming, Jesus is greater than all those ministry needs. So trust Him.
We can do that. Third, we serve God best when we are directed by Him. Which means, OK, I'm learning from His Word and I'm learning how to share these words and the simple truths of the Gospel message with others.
I'm learning how to share my testimony simply and plainly with folks who need to hear and see what God is capable of doing in your life and in theirs. So, we serve Him best when we are directed by Him. The Master Fisher finds out that he doesn't really know fishing as well as he thought. Peter learned that the Lord of all creation really knows fish. And He knows men.
He knows women. So follow Him. Let Him direct your steps as you share the truth of the Gospel with others. So truly, God gives us an impressive message about an impressive Savior empowered by His impressive grace.
Let's pray together shall we? Father, as we look at this story, we can identify with Peter in just amazing ways because we see ourselves. We see our own fears.
Sadly, we see our own inadequacies. And Lord, we know that it's not about us, that we have an impressive God, an impressive Gospel, impressive words to share with others. And you empower us with impressive grace and so help us to be startled and surprised by your power and your grace so that as we engage in ministry, it is you who makes that ministry significant through us. So encourage our minds or hearts in this way, we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen. You've been listening to a message preached by seminary professor Dr. Bruce Meyer. If you're looking for a college, please consider Bob Jones University, where our Christian liberal arts education will prepare you academically and spiritually to reach your highest potential for God's glory. For more information about our more than 100 accredited undergraduate and graduate programs, visit bju.edu or call 800-252-6363. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow at this same time as we study God's word together on The Daily Platform.
