SERMON: A LITTLE DEEPER

 

I.  Introduction

      -- turn in Bibles to Luke 5:1-11

 

Luke 5:1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, 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.

 

      -- when I was little, I loved to fish -- I lived to fish -- there was nothing that I enjoyed more than sitting on the bank of a pond fishing -- while everybody else was out playing baseball or riding bikes or swimming in the city pool, I spent all my time with a fishing pole in my hand

      -- I used to love summertime -- because the days were long -- and I used to sit at home and wait for Daddy to get home -- because I knew that he would be done well before dark during the summer -- and I’d beg and plead and ask him to take me fishing

      -- most of the time, we’d go to a pond on the farm and sit on the bank with a cane pole and worms -- but I remember one time when I was really little -- I couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 years old -- Daddy took me down to the Little River just south of Reed Bingham State Park

      -- we parked on a sand bar on the edge of the river and grabbed our poles and our bait and walked down to the edge -- I sat down on the edge of the bank and began baiting my pole, but when I looked up, Daddy had walked right into the river -- I’m sitting there dumbfounded -- why did he walk into the river? -- why wasn’t he standing on the bank with me?

      -- he raised his hand and motioned for me -- he said, “Follow me” -- and he didn’t wait -- he just turned around and took a couple more steps in and then started to wade upstream -- flicking his line up ahead of him and letting it drift down the river

      -- I remember stepping off that bank and into the black rushing water -- I stood there -- the water barely covering my tennis shoes -- and Daddy said, “Come on -- a little bit deeper” -- and he motioned for me to come

      -- I took a couple more steps -- “Keep coming -- it’s okay” -- and I kept walking -- deeper and deeper until I was about waist deep -- standing in that rushing water -- feeling the current push against my body -- feeling the exhilaration of standing there with the water rushing around me -- pushing me a little

      -- it was a strange feeling -- it almost felt like I was out of control and about to be swept away -- but at the same time, I felt safe -- because I trusted Daddy and knew he would protect me from the river’s power

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Luke 5:1-11)

      -- this morning, we’re going to talk about going deep -- about getting out past the banks of our spiritual rivers of life and into the deep with Jesus -- about going deeper with Him so that we can experience life as never before

      -- we see a very good example of someone literally doing that in this story about Jesus and Peter from Luke Chapter 5

      -- if you would, turn with me again to verse 1 and let’s look at this passage together and see what we can learn about going deep with Jesus

 

Luke 5:1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, 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.

 

      -- Luke begins this story with the words, “one day” -- “one day” -- one ordinary day -- one day just like all the others -- the people are going about their business as usual -- the fishermen have pulled up their boats on the shore and are cleaning their nets after a long night of fishing -- it was just a normal day -- just like today -- but something extraordinary happened -- something extraordinary can happen here today, too, if we are ready for it

 

      -- Luke tells us that Jesus was there on the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret -- another name for the sea of Galilee -- the people have crowded around Him -- wanting to hear Him preach and teach from the word of God -- and that’s no small wonder -- Jesus had been living there in Capernaum since His baptism and trial in the wilderness -- and He had been doing miracles in their midst -- casting out demons and healing the sick -- and preaching in the synagogues on the Sabbath -- but not just preaching as the elders did -- but preaching and teaching with authority and with power

      -- so, the people have gathered to hear Him, but they apparently can’t hear Him well -- it may have been the acoustics of standing on the shore -- it might have been that the crowd was pressing on Him so that the ones in the back couldn’t see or hear -- but Jesus knows the people are having a hard time hearing His word that morning

      -- He looks over and he sees Simon Peter is there at the shore washing his nets after a hard night of fishing -- without asking, Jesus got in his boat and asks him to row out just a little way so He can address the people from the boat -- Peter did as Jesus asked and rowed Him out just a little way offshore, so that when Jesus spoke, everyone could see Him and everyone could hear Him

 

      -- there’s something there I don’t want you to miss -- God’s message is for all of us and He will do whatever it takes to make sure we hear it

      -- think about what was going on with Peter and why he was sitting there on the shore of Galilee that morning when Jesus began to teach -- he really shouldn’t have been there

      -- Peter and his companions were professional fishermen -- it’s how they made their living -- they would go out at night when the fish rose to the surface and they would cast their nets and catch them -- and then, in the morning, they would take their catch to market

      -- if everything had gone according to plan, Peter and the others wouldn’t have been there that morning -- they would have been selling their fish -- but things didn’t work out -- as we’ll see over in verse 5, they had been out there all night on the lake but hadn’t caught anything -- and, so, instead of carrying their catch to market, they’re just sitting by their boats, cleaning their nets and bemoaning their bad luck

 

      -- now, why do you think they didn’t catch any fish that night? -- do you think it was just bad luck? -- do you think the fish just weren’t there? -- I don’t think so -- I think God intended for Peter and the others to be in that spot at that moment in order to hear Jesus -- and He does the same for you and me and everyone else, too -- He puts us in the place where we can hear Him when He speaks

      -- God’s message is for everybody and He’s going to do what it takes to make sure we hear it -- He will sometimes even bring what seems like bad luck into our lives -- trials and temptations -- whatever it takes to bring us to the point where we are better able to hear Him and where we are more willing to act on what we hear

      -- I know pastors here in south Georgia who have told me they knew they were being called into the ministry all their life, but they wouldn't hear God's voice or they wouldn't respond to God's call until something happened in their life to make them hear His voice -- for some of them it took an almost life-threatening car wreck -- for others it was sickness and death in their family

      -- just like He did with Peter and the others, God is going to make sure we are able to hear His voice

 

      -- verse 4

 

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.”

 

 

      -- when Jesus finished speaking, He turned to Peter and said, “Put out into deep water” -- in other words, Jesus was telling Peter to go a little deeper

      -- Peter would have heard those words like the fisherman he was -- he would have realized that this is just not the way things are done -- this is not how you catch fish

      -- fishermen at that time on the Sea of Galilee fished in the shallows, not in the deep -- they would attach their net to the shore, and then they'd go out just a little ways into the shallow water where the fish congregated, letting the net out as they went -- then, they'd make a wide semi-circle and head back to shore, trapping fish in the net

      -- this was the way it was done -- that was how you fished -- and so now, you’ve got Jesus -- this carpenter and preacher and teacher telling Peter -- an experienced fisherman -- what to do -- telling him how to fish -- and Jesus says, “Go a little deeper -- put out into the deep waters and let down your nets for a catch”

 

      -- when God speaks to us, He’s going to ask us to do the same thing -- to go a little deeper -- to do things we don't normally do -- to break from tradition and do things in a completely new way -- ways the world may think are wrong -- but we have to remember, God isn't looking for success as the world defines it -- He's looking for spiritual success

      -- God doesn’t want us to just stand on the banks of the river and fish from there -- He calls us to go deeper -- He wants us to plunge in -- to follow Him into the depths -- to move past our sitting on the pews on Sundays -- to move past our occasional reading of the Bible -- to move past our superficial knowledge and experience with Him -- and to go deeper -- to go past the point where we have been hanging out -- to go past the point where everyone else is -- even if it seems crazy

 

      -- that’s what Jesus is asking Peter to do when He tells him to go a little deeper -- it’s a pretty good bet that Peter was aware of Jesus before this morning -- I’m sure that he had heard of the miracles -- and he had just heard Jesus proclaim God’s word to the crowd on the seashore -- Peter has a superficial relationship with Jesus at this point -- but he respects Him as a teacher and a preacher

      -- and even though Peter knows that Jesus is not a fisherman and doesn’t know the first thing about fishing -- when Jesus says, “put out a little deeper,” Peter does just that -- even though Peter thought Jesus was wrong -- even though they had fished all night and caught nothing, He agreed to take the boat out and put the nets out in the deep -- out of respect, if nothing else -- sometimes, just knowing who God is and respecting Him is enough to get us started

 

      -- look down at verse 6 and let's see what happened

 

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.

 

 

      -- Peter did just what Jesus said -- he went a little deeper -- out past the point where fishermen usually fished -- out past the point where people usually put out their nets -- and when he got there, he did what Jesus said and lowered his nets -- and when they started to bring them in again, they had caught such a large number of fish that the nets began to break -- he had to call James and John to come help him

      -- there are some lessons there for us:

 

      -- first, if we try to do things on our own -- in the same way we’ve always done them -- we’re not going to succeed -- we might catch a few fish here and there -- we might do just as well as the others -- but more often than not, we’re going to be just like Peter and his companions -- we’ll fish all night -- we’ll work hard in our own strength -- and catch nothing

 

      -- second, sometimes God will bless us in our secular lives in a miraculous way so we will sense His call to spiritual work -- Jesus worked a miracle and Peter reaped a harvest of fish greater than any he had ever known -- we see this principle played out all around us today -- all we have to do is look

      -- I have talked with businessmen who said that after they heard Jesus call them to go a little deeper, they obeyed -- and the blessings started to overflow in their lives -- both physical and spiritual blessings -- which led them to go deeper still with Jesus -- to taking greater and greater steps of faith -- with some of them becoming involved in missions or prison ministry or lay-speaking -- some even into full-time Christian service  

 

      -- finally, sometimes you can’t really see God or know God until you take that step of faith and follow Jesus a little deeper -- Peter had God in his boat all morning, but he didn't see Him until he went a little deeper and a miracle happened -- Peter had listened to God all morning, but he never really heard Him until he went a little deeper and the nets almost broke with the weight of the fish -- going deeper with Jesus opens your eyes and it opens your ears and it leads you into a deeper experience with Him

      -- when you read the biographies of the heroes of the faith, you’ll see a point in each of their lives where they got up from the normal Christian life and went a little deeper -- when they quit being satisfied with just sitting on a pew on Sunday or throwing a handful of dollars in the offering plate and took a step of faith and went deeper -- and everything changed -- their relationship with God changed -- and that made all the difference

 

      -- that’s what happened to Peter when he went out just a little bit deeper -- and that’s what will happen to us, too, if we just get up and go a little deeper with Jesus

 

      -- verse 8

 

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.”

 

      -- in verse 8, Peter is like one of those cartoon characters where the light bulb lights up over their head when they get a good idea -- you can see the light come on -- Because of the miracle, Peter now realizes that this Jesus standing in his boat is not just a gifted teacher and preacher -- He is not just a rabbi to follow -- He’s God in the flesh

      -- when we go a little deeper -- when we come into the presence of God -- when we hear His voice and respond to His call -- we are made aware of just how great that chasm is between us and Him -- of how sinful we are -- we are reminded that we are nothing but dust and that He is the living God of all Creation

      -- as Isaiah said in Isaiah 6:5 when he saw God on His throne, "Woe to me -- I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

 

      -- being in the presence of God is a humbling event -- hearing the voice of God is a humbling event -- and responding to His word is a humbling event

      -- Peter's not trying to get rid of Jesus in verse 8 -- what he's trying to say is, "I am too sinful for you to look at -- I am too sinful for you to be with -- you are too holy and I am afraid"

      -- but look at how Jesus responds, "Don't be afraid -- you just went a little deeper -- but now that you know who I am -- now that you have heard my call -- I want you to go deeper still -- follow Me, you will catch men just like you caught these fish -- follow Me into the deep, and you will catch souls for the kingdom"

 

      -- and see how it ended

 

11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

 

      -- they left everything and followed Him -- to put it another way, they left everything and went deeper with Jesus

 

III.  Closing

            -- in closing, let me ask you this -- “are you satisfied with dipping your toe into the river of God’s glory and pretending that you’ve sold out to Jesus? -- Is knee-deep water enough for you to play in and call yourself committed to the gospel? -- Do you believe you’re righteous because the water laps around your waist?” [Robert Whitlow, Deeper Water, pg. 51]

            -- God’s call for us is to go deeper -- to plunge ourselves over the ledge and into the deep water where we can’t touch -- where we aren’t in control and where we have to totally and completely rely on Him to keep us safe -- the place where His will leads and His presence surrounds

 

            -- what would this look like in your life? -- what would it look like to “push a little deeper” with Jesus? -- where is He calling you to go? -- what is keeping you from going deeper with Him?

 

            -- there’s a song by Steven Curtis Chapman called “Dive” -- it’s about going deeper with Jesus -- not just a little deeper -- but plunging completely into the presence of God

            -- let me close by sharing with you a part of this song: 

 

            -- “The long-awaited rains have fallen hard upon the thirsty ground -- and carved their way to where the wild and rushing river can be found -- and like the rains, I have been carried here to where the river flows

            -- My heart is racing and my knees are weak as I walk to the edge -- I know there is no turning back once my feet have left the ledge -- and in the rush I hear a voice that's telling me it's time to take the leap of faith -- so here I go

            -- I'm diving in -- I'm going deep -- In over my head -- I want to be caught in the rush, lost in the flow -- in over my head, I want to go -- the river's deep -- the river's wide -- the river's water is alive --so sink or swim, I'm diving in”

 

            -- God is calling us today to go deeper -- to do more than just stick a toe in the water -- to do more than just wade in to our knees or our waist -- He’s calling us deeper still -- He’s calling us to plunge into His presence -- to dive in over our heads and trust Him with our lives and to watch the miracles unfold around us

            -- are you willing to go deeper with God today?

 

            -- if so, then I invite you to respond to God’s word as you feel led -- as always, the altar is open for any who wish to come and make a commitment to God today

            -- let us pray

WHERE I'VE BEEN

 For the handful of folks who occasionally peruse this blog, you probably have noticed that I have not posted in a while, so I wanted to share why this has happened:

First, I transitioned once again out of the United Methodist Church.  I served as a local pastor in the UMC for ten years, and then separated because I could not minister as God was leading within the constraints of the church and because I felt the denomination was straying from the true biblical doctrines on which it was founded.  I ended up leading a church called Koinonia Church (Greek for "fellowship") for over 10 years, but agreed to go back to the pulpit at Naylor UMC following the untimely and tragic passing of their pastor.  It was to be a temporary pulpit fill position until another UMC-affiliated pastor could be appointed, but it turned into a 3-1/2 year ministry.  While I loved my time with the people at Naylor, my concerns with the denominational direction of the UMC and the overwhelming administrative bureaucracy of the UMC caused me to separate once again.  I officially stepped down from the pastorate at Naylor in June of this year.  Originally, I had planned on resurrecting the Koinonia Church fellowship, but with the increasing covid outbreak in our area, we have delayed restarting the church for safety purposes, which brings me to the second reason why I have been silent lately.

Secondly, my heart has been broken over the response by the church to the covid pandemic in the U.S.  For a people called by Christ to serve others in His name and to sacrifice self for Him and for our community, I have been disheartened by the actions of the majority of Christians I know.  Rather than being the people on the forefront in protecting others by wearing masks and social distancing and getting vaccinated, I have seen Christians speak with malice and hatred towards those who do so.  Rather than ministering and serving during this crisis, I have seen Christians complain about their "rights" being taken away because they were being asked to wear a mask, and I have seen Christians willfully defy medical advice and government requests for compliance, which has prolonged this pandemic and resulted in negative views of the church.  And when I have tried to encourage other Christians and churches to join together with a message of hope and safety during this time, I have been denigrated and ridiculed for not having faith.  As an introvert who tends to avoid conflict, this has caused me to be silent.

Third, my heart has been broken by the conflation of the church with the state (Christian nationalism), especially with the Trump-led Republican party.  Although I am politically and socially a conservative, those who are doing so have moved into areas that are not biblical and are endorsing actions and leaders that are not consistent with the Christian faith.  The exaltation of Donald Trump has reached almost idol-like proportion among many Christians I know, and any contrary support of reaching out to immigrants or the oppressed (i.e. migrants along the southern border and the Afghanistan people) is met with derision or hostility.  I have been astounded at how many close Christian friends have alleged that you cannot be a Christian unless you are a Republican who supports Trump, and if you differ from their political stances in any way, you are shunned (literally defriended by many on Facebook for speaking out against some of the recent Republican stances, especially on immigration and the pandemic).  Too many times breaking against the wall of Christian nationalism caused me to pull back into my shell and be quiet.

Finally, we have been walking through a season of trials in our family.  We have been dealing with mental illness concerns in my immediate family, as well as trying to take care of aging parents during this pandemic.  It has been difficult and it has been trying.  My wife and I have been like the walking dead, going to bed exhausted and getting up exhausted and going through the motions of each day just trying to make it through.  And dealing with the chaos and unpredictable trials of ER visits, hospitalizations, financial strains, etc.  As we call it...life.  Certainly not trials on the scale of our Christian brethren in persecuted countries, but trying and time-consuming, none-the-less.

So, to the few who did read this blog, I apologize for not posting.  I just haven't had the heart.  I've found myself withdrawing from public interaction because of covid and withdrawing from religious participation, because of both covid and the rampant Christian nationalism.  I've found myself just spending the evening watching meaningless television shows as a means to escape the realities of life going on around me.  My spiritual life and my ministry has been affected greatly because of this since 2020.  

But I've been thinking about this a lot lately.  I was challenged on another site to be the voice that is missing.  I am not sure that is my calling, but I do recognize that my silence is not what God wants.  He has never called us to be passive.  He has not called us to withdraw from our culture, but to participate in the culture as strangers in a foreign land, as His ambassadors to a world heading away from Him.  I'm going to try to be more like Paul and Elijah than Timothy in this regard.

I'm going to try to do better.  I'm going to try to post more, with "try" as the definitive word in that sentence.  Sometimes life just gets the best of you, and you can't find the time to speak as you should.

I'm going to begin by posting the remaining sermons from Naylor UMC that never made it online.  The Bible says that God's word does not return void, but accomplishes the purpose for which it was put out.  Perhaps someone online will find value from these messages, despite the failings of the messenger.

And, as time permits, I am going to try to post my thoughts on current events and the direction of the culture and the church.  These will be my thoughts.  You don't have to agree.  But I think its time to speak again, even if it is as a lone voice in the wilderness.