SERMON: JUST AN ORDINARY DAY

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

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.

 

            -- I want to share with you a story that I heard one time on Focus on the Family  

            -- Lysa TerKeurst -- the founder of Proverbs 31 Ministries -- was sharing the story about the time she was headed back home on an airplane after a week of teaching and ministering to women – it was a completely normal day – it was a completely normal event – something that she had done hundreds of times before

            -- Lysa said she was tired and worn out from ministering and speaking all week at the conference, so she prayed that God would just grant her just one request -- that He would let her have the airplane row all to herself so she could stretch out and relax on the way home

            -- and as she watched the plane fill with passengers that morning, it looked like God was going to answer her prayer -- the flight attendants were making their final checks, and no one else had come to claim the two empty seats on her row – Lysa had the row all to herself, just as she had asked

-- but right before the doors closed, two more people came on board and took those seats -- an Indian woman took the seat next to the window and a large man sat down in the middle seat next to Lysa

            -- Lysa just sighed and decided to make the best of it – since she obviously wasn’t going to get any rest on this flight, she decided to try to get a little work done -- she pulled out a manuscript that she had been working on and began revising it when, all of a sudden, the man next to her said, "I couldn't help but notice the word, 'God,' all over your paper there -- That's a curious thing to be in a paper."

            -- when the man spoke to her, Lysa turned to him and, all of a sudden, it hit her what was happening – she realized there was a reason why God allowed two people onto her flight and into her row at the very last moment, even though she had prayed for space to rest and relax

-- it was no accident that God said, "No," to her prayer for an empty row -- it was not chance or dumb luck or coincidence that this man happened to sit down next to her on that plane -- this was a divine appointment from God

-- and Lysa realized that and began to share with this man the good news of salvation and her own story of faith through a lifetime of abuse and rejection – as she shared, Lysa said that she could sense the presence of the Holy Spirit – she knew God was calling the man – and she watched as God touched both his heart and the heart of the Indian woman who was sitting next to them listening -- before the plane landed, both of them had prayed with Lysa to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior and their lives were forever changed

            -- Lysa closed her account of this experience by thanking God for helping her to have a heart that is open to His presence and to the opportunities for ministry that He places in all of our paths

 

            -- now I had heard this story before -- I am a fan of Lysa TerKeurst and her ministry – so, when the episode came on the radio that day as I was driving home, I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to it – I know how the story was going to end

-- but as I was sitting there, half-listening to this familiar story, God spoke to me and He pointed something out – it was so clear and so direct, it was almost like an audible voice in my ear – God spoke and said, “It was just an ordinary day…"

            -- “It was just an ordinary day” – I have thought about that phrase many times since God spoke to me during that broadcast of Lysa’s message – I have often wondered what He was trying to get me to see – what He was trying to get me to understand – what He was trying to get me to do

            -- I mean, aren't all our days pretty much ordinary days? – for the most part, we live the same humdrum lives and do the same routines over and over again – everyday blurs into the memory of the day before – there is nothing to really distinguish it – and at the end of the day, when someone comes up and asks you how your day was, how many times do you say, "It was fine -- it was just a regular day – it was just an ordinary day"

            -- but Lysa’s story reminds us that extraordinary things can happen on ordinary days, if you are open to what Jesus is doing around you

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Luke 5:1-11)

            -- look back with me at this passage from Luke 5, and let me show you what I am talking about

 

            -- verse 1-3

 

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.

 

 

            -- in these verses, Luke is beginning to tell us the story of Jesus calling His first disciples – a story that we are all familiar with

-- and so, we read these verses in anticipation of the end – we’ve heard this story – we know how it ends – we have already skipped forward to the miracle that brought Simon Peter to faith

-- but don’t miss an important part of the story that Luke gives us here in these verses – in the very beginning of the story in verse 1, Luke writes, “One day…” – One day

            -- it was not a special day -- it wasn't a holiday -- it wasn't a feast day -- it wasn't even a Sabbath -- it was just one ordinary day in the middle of the week -- and everybody was going about and doing what they normally did

            -- Jesus was just standing there by the lake teaching -- just like any Jewish rabbi would do -- and a group of people had gathered around to hear Him

            -- right down the beach from Jesus, a handful of fishermen were sitting there next to their boats -- washing their nets after a long night of fishing -- just doing what they did every day -- just going about their normal, ordinary way of life on just another normal, ordinary day

 

            -- but as Jesus taught, more and more people came to listen – and the crowd started jostling for position and pushing each other – and Luke says that the people began to crowd around Him -- it obviously was making it difficult for Jesus to speak to the crowd effectively

            -- so, Jesus looked over and saw the two boats sitting there at the water’s edge and the fishermen who were there washing their nets – He went over to them and got into one of their boats -- the boat that belonged to Simon -- and He asked Simon to put out a little way from the shore -- and then He sat down and continued to teach the people

            -- that was the perfect place to speak from -- sitting there like that would have been liking sitting in an amphitheater -- Jesus would have been able to project His voice out and it would have carried out across the water and up the sloping beach and through the crowd so everyone could hear -- and it also kept Him from getting mobbed and jostled by the people He was trying to speak to

 

            -- remember that there are no coincidences in the Kingdom of God – there is no luck or chance – things happen according to the plan and will of God – nothing happens in your life that He doesn’t allow to happen – just as God willed that man and woman to share Lysa TerKeurst’s row on the airplane that day – that was a divinely ordered encounter – and this day is no different

      -- think for a moment about the reason why Simon and the others were sitting there next to their empty boats that day – on a regular day – on a good day – they wouldn’t have been there – they would have caught their limit of fish that night and would be at the market, selling the fish, as normal

      -- but God had a different plan – He wanted them there – so their nets were empty – and instead of selling fish at the market, they sat there on the shore of Galilee, listening to Jesus share the word of God

            -- remember this – on our ordinary days, God is still speaking – and we should pray for ears to hear and eyes to see and hearts to respond

 

            -- verse 4-5

 

Luke 5:4 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.”

 

 

            -- so far, it's just a normal, ordinary day, but things are about to change

            -- when Jesus finished speaking, He told Simon to take the boat out into the deep water and to put his nets out for a catch -- and you can tell from Simon's response he really didn't want to do what Jesus was asking him to do

            -- he had already spent the whole night out there on the lake fishing and hadn't caught anything -- he and his partners had already come back and washed their nets and gotten everything cleaned up -- I'm sure they were tired and they probably just wanted to go home and get some rest before they had to go back out on the lake to fish again that night

      -- and, to top it off, I'm sure Simon was sitting there thinking, "This man may be a good rabbi – He may be able to teach the word of God well -- but He doesn't know anything about fishing"

 

      -- fishermen at that time on the Sea of Galilee fished at night, 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 -- this was the normal, ordinary way to fish -- this was how everybody did it

      -- and now this rabbi -- this carpenter -- is trying to tell Simon, an experienced, professional fisherman -- how to fish -- and He's telling Him to put out into the deep waters and let down his net

      -- so, Simon says, "I really don't want to do that -- I think it's a waste of time -- but, just to be nice, I'll do what you say" -- and so Simon heads into the deep water and lets his nets down

 

      -- verse 6-7

 

Luke 5:6 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.

 

 

      -- Simon did what Jesus told him to do – I’m not sure why – but he did it – a lot of the times when God tells us to do something, we don’t understand – it’s something that doesn’t make sense – but that’s where faith comes in – that’s where trust and obedience come in – and Simon, even though he didn’t really know Jesus and had just happened to be there on an ordinary day to hear Him teach by the sea, responded in obedience to His command

      -- he went out 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 go through life just assuming that every day is just an ordinary day – and we do things the same way we always do them – going through life today just like we did yesterday – nothing is going to change

      -- we’re going to see the same results that we’ve always had – we’re going to experience that day just like all the rest -- 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 Simon and his companions -- we’ll fish all night -- we’ll work hard in our own strength -- and catch nothing

      -- Einstein is attributed as having said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” – there is truth in that statement

 

      -- second, sometimes God will bless us in our lives in such a miraculous way that we know it had to come from Him – Jesus did a miracle that day as Simon lowered his nets into the deep in the middle of the day, knowing that nothing would come of it – and as the nets filled with fish, Simon realized that this ordinary day had just turned extraordinary

      -- one of my favorite verses in the Bible is John 10:10, where Jesus says, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full” – or, as the King James Version puts it, “I have come so that you may have abundant life”

      -- in his devotionals this week, Skye Jethani pointed out that whenever we are in the presence of God – whenever the Kingdom of God is near – abundance follows – miracles happen – lives are changed

      -- Lysa TerKeurst saw that on an ordinary airplane ride home as two lives were touched for eternity – and Simon saw that as his nets filled with fish in a place where no fish should be found

      -- what is God wanting to do in your life and in this church? – what abundant blessings are we missing because we are not looking for His presence in our midst?

 

      -- finally, sometimes you can’t really see God or know God until you take that first step of faith and follow Jesus a little deeper -- Simon had God in his boat all morning, but he didn't realize it – Simon had God in his boat all morning, but he didn’t really see Him – Simon had God in his boat all morning, but he didn’t really hear Him

      -- it was only after Simon obeyed the call and did what Jesus told him to do that the miracle happened -- going deeper with Jesus opens your eyes and ears and 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 Simon on this ordinary day when he went out just a little bit deeper because Jesus told him to -- and that’s what will happen to us, too, if we will do the same

 

      -- verse 8-10

 

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, Simon is like one of those cartoon characters where the light bulb lights up over their head when they get a good idea – as you read this passage and as you see Simon’s response to the miraculous catch of fish, you can see the light come on

      -- all of a sudden, Simon is aware that this person in his boat is not just an ordinary rabbi – He’s not just a gifted teacher and preacher – but He’s something else – He’s God in the flesh – and it rocks Simon to the core

      -- realizing that you are in the presence of the Lord God Almighty is a terrifying and awful experience – and I mean awful as in awe-ful – you are overwhelmed with His presence – you are overwhelmed with His being – it humbles you – it takes you to your knees, just as it did Simon here

      -- when Simon says here to Jesus, “Go away from me,” he’s not really trying to get rid of Jesus – he’s just overwhelmed in the moment – he has realized who Jesus is and in contrast to Jesus, he is aware of his own sins and shortcomings – Peter is crying out, “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 – this was just an ordinary day, but now it’s not -- now that you know who I am -- now that you have heard my call -- I want you to go deeper every day -- follow Me, and you will catch men just like you caught these fish -- follow Me, and you will catch souls for the kingdom"

      -- and see how it ended

 

      -- verse 11

 

Luke 5:11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

 

      -- it had been just a normal, ordinary day, but it didn't stay that way -- it had been just a normal, ordinary life, but in an instant the ordinary became extraordinary

 

      -- what made the difference?

      -- it wasn't a willing heart -- Simon certainly didn't want to do what Jesus had told him to do

      -- it wasn't faith -- Simon had no faith in Jesus' fishing ability -- Simon didn't expect to catch a thing when he dropped his nets into the deep water -- and, at this point, Simon is not Peter -- he is not the rock -- he has not yet put his faith into Jesus as his Lord and Savior

      -- so, what made the difference between it being just another ordinary day and a day that Simon would never forget?

 

      -- it's simple -- it was Jesus -- Jesus stepped into Simon's normal, ordinary day and made it extraordinary -- and He wants to do the same for us

      -- when I was listening to Lysa TerKeurst's story and God spoke to me and told me, "It was just an ordinary day," I think He was trying to get me to understand that every day with Him is extraordinary -- that there is no such a thing in God's kingdom as just an ordinary day -- and that He wants to do amazing things in our lives and in the lives of those around us -- if we will only see Him and listen to Him and respond to Him when He calls

 

III.  Closing

      -- so, how can we make our ordinary days extraordinary?

 

      -- first, we need to know who is in our boat – we need to know who is in our day -- we need to know God in a real and personal way – we need to learn to find Him and see Him even in the most ordinary of days

 

      -- I think everybody here is probably familiar with the "Where's Waldo?" books -- -- the pages are filled with drawings of normal, ordinary people doing normal, ordinary things -- they're just doing the things of life -- they're going to work -- they're going to school -- they're going to beach or to the mountains or somewhere else

      -- but somewhere in the midst of all those normal, ordinary people is Waldo -- wearing his distinctive red-and-white striped shirt and his bobble hat and his glasses -- and the goal is to find him in the midst of everything else that is going on

 

      -- that's kind of like Jesus -- as we go through our normal, ordinary days doing our normal, ordinary things, Jesus is right there -- He's in the midst of everything that is going on -- but, a lot of times, we just don't pay any attention to Him -- and if we're not aware of Him -- if we're not hearing Him -- and if we're not seeing Him -- then we're not experiencing Him

      -- we have to experience Jesus in order for our ordinary days to become extraordinary

 

      -- Lysa TerKeurst gives us a good picture of how we need to do that -- when she got on that plane, it was just a normal, ordinary day -- and even when that man sat down next to her, nothing changed -- she could have gone the whole flight and never said a word to that man

      -- but, when she heard him ask about God, she realized that there was something greater going on -- that this was not just a normal, ordinary occurrence, but a divine appointment -- and that Jesus wanted her to tell this man her story

      -- Lysa was open to God's presence -- she looked for Him on that plane -- she listened for His voice -- and when she saw Him and heard Him and responded to His command, God did an extraordinary thing through her

      -- He'll do it through us, too, if we remember to look for Him during our normal, ordinary days

 

      -- second, as we grow in grace and learn to look for Jesus – to listen for Jesus – to know Jesus in our lives – we will come to know Him in greater and greater ways and we will want to be with Him more and more – and that will make the difference in how we experience our days and our lives

 

      -- when Simon first saw Jesus here and realized who He was, it rocked Simon – he fell at Jesus’ feet and cried out for him to leave, because he was scared of Jesus – he didn’t want to be too close to Him – the presence of God was too much – he couldn’t handle it

      -- but after leaving his boat and nets at the lake and following Jesus for three years, something happened to Simon – he became someone else – he became “the rock” – Peter – the faithful disciple who vowed to follow Jesus wherever He would go

      -- Peter went from trying to get away from Jesus to wanting to be with Jesus every moment of every day

      -- in fact, there’s an interesting story at the end of the Book of John that shows this very plainly – after the resurrection, the disciples went to Galilee, as Jesus had commanded – and in Chapter 21, we read that the disciples were out on the sea fishing, and just like this day, they had fished all night and hadn’t caught a thing

      -- they see someone standing on the shore and he calls out to them to “throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some fish” – when they did so, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish

      -- immediately, they all knew who it was – this was a replay of the events of Luke 5 -- but this time, when Simon Peter realizes the abundance of fish in his net has come from God Himself in their midst, he doesn’t cry out, “Go away from me” – he doesn’t try to distance himself from Jesus like he did the first time he met Him

      -- this time, Peter jumps overboard and begins swimming with all his might towards the shore – he can’t stand to be away from Jesus – he can’t even wait for the boat to get to shore – he just jumps in and starts swimming so he can get to Jesus and be with Him again

      -- that’s what happens when we truly know Jesus in our lives – when we listen for Him and look for Him in the midst of our ordinary days – and when we see Him there with us, making the ordinary extraordinary

 

      -- the third thing that has to happen in order for our ordinary days to become extraordinary is to be open to whatever God tells us to do -- you don't do extraordinary things in ordinary ways

      -- God is a God of creativity and abundance -- and while He never changes, the ways He uses us and the ways He reaches out through us change all the time

      -- when God wants to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary, He will ask us to do things we don't normally do -- He will ask us to break from tradition and do things in a completely new way -- ways the world may think are wrong

      -- think about how Jesus asked Simon to put out in the deep water and to drop his nets in the middle of the day -- what do you think Simon's partners thought as they saw his boat heading into the middle of the lake? – they probably thought he was crazy – that’s not the way to do it – but that’s what God told him to do

      -- in order to see extraordinary results, you sometimes have to give an extraordinary effort

 

      -- the final thing that has to happen in order for our ordinary days to become extraordinary is that we actually have to respond and do what He tells us to do -- no matter how crazy or strange it may be

      -- we don't have to want to do it -- Simon didn't want to go out fishing again that morning -- Lysa didn't want to spend her flight ministering -- she just wanted to rest -- we don't have to have a willing spirit -- we just have to have an obedient heart

      -- we don't even need faith -- like I said, Simon didn't have faith in Jesus that day, but it didn't stop Jesus from doing a miracle -- God has called me to do things that I didn't believe were possible

      -- He had me pray for healing for this man in the hospital one time and I didn't have any faith -- I didn't believe this man was going to get better -- I walked out of there and thought to myself that man was going to die -- but God healed him and that man walked out of that hospital on his own two feet and he came back to our church the very next Sunday

      -- our faith -- or our lack of faith -- is not a hindrance to God's ability to work in us and through us

      -- we need to learn to just do what He says and leave the rest up to Him

 

      -- when Simon and his partners washed their nets by the Sea of Galilee on that day, it started out as a normal, ordinary day -- but it quickly turned into something that changed their lives forever

      -- as you leave here today, remember that there is no such a thing as normal and ordinary in the Kingdom of God -- remember that every day can be a day of wonder and miracle and abundance -- if we only seek God's face and listen for His voice and respond in obedience to His call

      -- may today be the day we begin knowing Jesus in a new way by going deeper and jumping in after Him – by hearing Him and knowing Him and doing what He says – that is how the ordinary becomes extraordinary – and that can be our norm from this moment on

      -- let us pray