The call of the disciples, particularly Peter, to become "fishers of men" is explored through Jesus' miraculous catch of fish in Luke 5. After a night of fruitless labor, Peter acknowledges his failure but, at Jesus' word, obeys and casts his nets, resulting in an overwhelming catch that fills two boats and nearly breaks the nets. This event highlights the importance of acknowledging personal failure, acting in faith based on God's word, and the necessity of fellowship in the work of the Lord. The sermon concludes by urging believers to embrace their privilege and responsibility to "fish for men," bringing others to Christ through faith and obedience.
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And now this week we are having some lessons from Luke, that is the Gospel According to Luke. And today we're going to turn to chapter five, the fifth chapter of the Gospel According to Luke, and I want to read the first eleven verses of this chapter. And it came to pass that as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Jenezeret. and saw two ships standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets. He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land, and he sat down and taught the people out of the ship.
Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. When they had this done they enclosed a great multitude of fish and their net break. And they beckoned unto their partners which were in the other ship that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the ships so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord, for he was astonished at all that were with him, at the draft of the fish 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. From henceforth thou shalt catch men. When they had brought their ships to land, they pursued all, and followed him. Sure the Lord will bless to us the reading of these verses. Let us bow for prayer. Blessed God, our Father, we turn again to thee in the attitude of prayer, denoting our dependence upon thee. And yet we come with thanksgivings. For we thank thee for all that was done for thy people.
We thank thee for the great gift of thy love when thou didst send thy beloved son to die on Calvary's cross. We thank thee that day by day thy mercies are renewed. Thou dost send to us seek thy man harvest, rain and sunshine. Yea, for every temporal blessing we give thee thanks, and for every spiritual blessing. We ask that even now, by thy Holy Spirit, thou shalt bless each of us as we seek to understand thy word. Bless every listener as we ask it, giving thanks in the Savior's name. Amen. Now today, as we turn to this particular passage of the Word of God, here is the record of how Peter, his brother Andrew, and James and John left their calling as fishermen.
because they fished on the Sea of Galilee, but they left their all, they left their ships, they left their business to become disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then to be chosen to be numbered amongst the twelve who were also called apostles. This is not the record of their conversion, of course. This is the record of their call to service. The record of the conversion of Andrew and John and Peter is found in the Gospel according to John chapter one. Here in Luke chapter five, it's how they were called to leave their secular work and go into service full time as it were, as disciples of the Lord Jesus.
However, there are some lessons here for each of us to learn. in connection with our Christian life and testimony. I want you to notice this, that in verse three, it says, He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's. That was Simon Peter. The Lord asked him to thrust out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the people out of the ship. And playing words. The ship became his pulpit. Now, it's an amazing thing how a man could sit in a ship just a little bit from the land, and he could speak to the people, hundreds of them, who would be assembled on the hillside just on the shore.
And it would be easy, for the acoustics would be such, that that whole crowd would hear him speak with the greatest of ease. That's where he sat in the ship, And he taught the people. Now it's what happened after that sermon was finished that we are interested in at this time. Because when we come to verse four, it is now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draft. Now the answer that Peter gave to the Lord on this occasion strikes home to all our hearts.
Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing. Here I suggest to you is the acknowledgement of failure. Now remember Peter and his partners were men who understood the Sea of Galilee. They understood how to fish. and they understood when to fish. Yet, with all their knowledge of the lake and with all their knowledge of fishing, here are men who have got to acknowledge failure.
They had fished all night and hadn't taken a thing. You know, it's not easy to acknowledge failure. Very few people want to acknowledge that they failed, and yet... If we're to be honest about it, I suppose almost every person has failed in some respect. Even at school, children never like to admit that they had failed in an examination. In fact, if they passed in five subjects and failed in one, they would tell of the five in which they passed and forget to tell about the one in which they failed.
That's normal. That's natural. to try and hide our failures. It's not an easy thing to come out and out and acknowledge failure. But I want you to take particular notice here. There was nothing to be ashamed of. Peter says, We have toiled all the night. Now Peter didn't simply say, I have toiled. He said, We. In plain words, they had made an effort. And they were all in it. They were all labouring. Every man who formed a member of the crew, they had all toiled.
We have toiled. There was unity. And so if there was unity in the effort, there must be unity in the responsibility for the failure. We have toiled. But he says we have toiled. You know, I like to think that it wasn't a matter of wasting their time. They weren't playing at being fishermen. They weren't hiding from anyone. They weren't simply clocking in and clocking out in the hope of being paid for the number of hours they were clocked in. Not a bit of it. These men had to show some results or else no pay.
If they had no fish to sell in the market in the morning, then there would be no returns for the effort. We have toiled. These men were hard-working men, and all in, all working together, they had toiled. It was hard work. Now, it wasn't just a matter of working hard for the first hour in the hope that something might happen, and then giving up. and saying it's useless they didn't do that he says we have toiled all the night there was continuity and so therefore there was unity and continuity in the effort they had started when they went out they had toiled all the night until they came back into port and yet here is the acknowledgement of their failure We have taken nothing.
We haven't caught a thing for the whole night's effort. We've taken nothing. It's the acknowledgement of failure. Now that is not an easy thing to do yet. Let us face this today. If we have tried and failed, perhaps it would be better for us to acknowledge our failure to the Lord. There's no shame in it if you have tried and failed. But now let me remind you that all over the history of humanity, you could write the word failure. Do you know that Adam and Eve failed at their first test?
When God placed them in the Garden of Eden, there was failure there. They failed to keep the standards that God set for them. And that failure is called sin. No matter who is listening to my voice today, we've got to admit this. We are members of a race that has failed. What is man's chief end? Man's chief end is to glorify God. And yet man has failed in that great effort. We have not come up to God's standards. And while that's true of the whole human race, It narrows down to the individual.
Peter did not say they have toiled. He said we. In plain words, he put himself in with rest. And you and I have got to turn the focus on ourselves. It's so easy to point the finger at others and say they failed and to try and keep ourselves outside of the accusation. But the point is this, if we're going to be any use for God, We've got to see the index finger pointed at ourselves. We have failed. It includes me, includes you. And so there's to be the acknowledgement of failure. How often in the scriptures do we read of men saying, I have sinned, or we have sinned.
When a man comes to that point and says, I have sinned. That was what the prodigal had to admit. I've sinned against heaven. and before thee. Some people have admitted this and said, I have sinned, but they've never repented, they've never turned to God. But here on this occasion, there was the acknowledgement of failure. It's the first step towards getting things put right between our soul and our God. But following the acknowledgement of failure, there is the attitude of faith. He says, Nevertheless, at thy word, I will let down the net and so Simon Peter here takes full responsibility and he says I will let down the net here is the attitude of faith nevertheless I suggest here is faith's response the master has said let down the net now if they're going to let down the net and having toiled all night and taken nothing, people are going to look and say, what do these fellows expect to do now?
If they've worked all night and toiled all night and they've never taken nothing, and now they're going out and they're going to let down at the net at a time that does not at all seem to be appropriate. Nevertheless, whether it's in season or out of season, if the master gives the command, it's ours to obey. Faith will listen to what the master says. Nevertheless, he said, at thy word I will let down the net. You see, while it's faith's response when he says nevertheless, here is faith's reason at thy word. Now, faith is not an unreasonable thing.
Faith is a reasonable thing. See, faith can rest upon the word of the Lord. For the word of the Lord is established. The word of the Lord can never fail. When the Lord speaks, you can rest assured, he will accomplish what he says. If the Lord asks us to let down the net, you can rest assured, if you obey, the results will be there. Thy word. Here is faith's reason. It's the basis for faith. So therefore, he said, we will let down the net.
So therefore, here is the act of faith. Faith lets down the net. Only, of course, because the Lord has given the command. Then here is faith's reward. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fish. and their net break. They filled the net. You see, after all, faith must act according to the Word of God. How often in these broadcasts have we quoted this verse from Romans chapter ten? Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Some things today that are claimed on the basis of faith In the final analysis you will find to be sheer presumption. If we do not have the word of God for what we do, then don't claim that you're acting on faith. But if you have the word of God and what you're doing is based on the command of God, then you can claim that to be an act of faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Now here was Peter. He had acknowledged his failure. Yet the Lord gave the command.
He heard the word. Faith responded to that word. Faith, you see, is a reasonable thing, based on the word of God. He answered that with obedience and he let down the net. And the results were there. Here was faith's reward. The net was filled. You see, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. You see, the Christian life begins with an act of faith, doesn't it? By grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.
And again, I quote, faith covered by hearing... and hearing by the Word of God. But not only does the Christian life begin by an act of faith, the Christian life continues on that level of faith. All you're required to do is read Hebrews chapter eleven. And there you'll read the record of people who live their lives on this principle of faith. Believing God. when the thing seemed to be impossible. For instance, Abraham believed God when he didn't know where God was leading him, but he trusted God.
He believed God when he didn't know how the promise could be accomplished, but he believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. He believed God when he didn't know why God was asking him to offer up his son, but he believed God, and he received the promises. You see, after all, faith trusts the Lord. Faith is reasonable because it's based on the Word of God. So therefore, here was Peter. In spite of all his failure, he's prepared now to act in faith, confidence in the living Christ.
Then I notice another nice little touch here. The net began to break, and they, I take it that's Peter and his brother Andrew and his partners who were in the boat, they beckoned unto their partners which were in the other ship that they should come and help them, and they came and filled both the ships so that they began to sink. What a catch for one night. Here then was an act of fellowship. You see, my friend, as you listen to me today, let us remember this, that in the work of the Lord, there's fellowship.
In this life, there is such a thing as fellowship. We don't live our lives in isolation. We don't cut ourselves off from everybody else. Some people like to do that, like little Jack Horner. They would like to sit in their own corner and eat their own little pie, then pat themselves on the back and say, what a good boy am I. But that's not fellowship. Fellowship, you see, is companionship. Fellowship is a sharing, a sharing of the joys, a sharing of the sorrows, a sharing of responsibilities.
And so therefore they beckoned unto their partners. This was a day for rejoicing, having toiled all night and caught nothing. They must have been a little bit despondent. But now at the word of the Lord they have launched out. And having launched out, the Lord gives them the reward. The nets are filled. They're unable to draw them in. They're beginning to break. And so there's the act of fellowship. They're calling for others to come and share in the joy of the great catch. Now, I wonder if today we're willing to share our Christian responsibilities and willing to share our joys with others.
It's a beautiful thing in the Christian life when you can have partnership. Partners with one another. in the work of the Lord. So many of us perhaps are minded to do it all on our own, whereas in a local church there's fellowship. And that word fellowship, you know, is a well-known word in the New Testament. There is such a thing as having fellowship in the Gospel. He tells us that in writing his epistle to the Philippians. And Paul is very, very thankful for that as he tells those people about the joy that's brought to his heart when he recalls how that they have fellowshiped with him in the Gospel.
It is always in every prayer of mine for you all, making requests with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now. Then later on he speaks of another kind of fellowship. He says, if any, fellowship of the Spirit, that's in chapter two. In chapter three, he says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. You see, he's telling those Philippians about having fellowship in the things of God. Here in chapter five of the gospel, according to Luke, and we take this as a picture of what follows. Because he says to Peter, don't you be afraid, Peter.
Fear not. From henceforth thou shalt catch men. In order to be a fisher of men they would have to follow the Lord. In order to catch men they will have to be obedient to the word of the Lord. Now we have the picture first of all of Peter catching the fish. In his own strength he had failed. But when he listened to what the Lord had to tell him he had a great success. And he was able to beckon to the others, to come in with them and be partners with them in this great work. Now, says the Lord, follow me. Don't be afraid, Peter. From henceforth you're going to catch men.
In the same way that you've been catching the fish, you'll be able to take men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they pursued all and followed him. They became fishers of men. May I suggest that today the great privilege of the Christian is to fish for men. There are men and women perishing in the sea of life. Men and women who need to be saved, they need to be found for Christ. It's our privilege to go after them as partners in this great work bringing men to Christ. Let us fellowship together in this great work.
Let us act in faith together, seeking to spread the word and reach men and women for the Savior.