"The Miracle of Fishes"

Q: What does the Bible say about the miracle of fishes in Luke 5?

The miracle of fishes in Luke 5 illustrates the authority of Jesus and the miraculous power of God to work through His Word. In Luke 5, Jesus performs a significant miracle involving Simon Peter and the catching of a great multitude of fishes. After a night of unsuccessful fishing, Jesus commands Simon to let down his nets into the deep. Despite their toil, Peter obeys, and as a result, they catch so many fish that their nets break and both ships begin to sink. This event reveals not only Jesus’ power over nature but also serves as a symbol of His call to discipleship, transforming Peter from a fisherman to a 'fisher of men.' This miracle underscores the theme of faith in responding to God's commands and the abundance that comes from obeying His Word.

Q: How do we know that Jesus is powerful and can perform miracles?

Jesus' ability to perform miracles, including the miraculous catch of fish, confirms His divine authority and the truth of His teachings. The miracles of Jesus, such as the one recorded in Luke 5, serve as undeniable evidence of His divine authority and identity as the Son of God. In this account, Jesus' command to Simon Peter to let down his nets results in an astonishing catch, affirming His power over creation. Throughout the Scriptures, we find that Jesus' miracles were not only acts of compassion but signs pointing to His identity as the Messiah and the Savior, grounding our faith in His sovereignty and the Redemptive plan of God. Consequently, believers are encouraged to trust in His Word, knowing that He has the power to fulfill all His promises.

Q: Why is the concept of Jesus being the 'fisher of men' important for Christians?

Jesus calling His disciples to be 'fishers of men' symbolizes the mission of spreading the Gospel to all nations. The phrase 'fisher of men,' as attributed to Jesus in Luke 5, represents a foundational aspect of the Christian mission. By transforming Simon Peter from a fisherman into a 'fisher of men,' Jesus signifies the call to discipleship that not only involves personal transformation but also the responsibility to share the message of salvation with others. This calling stresses that every believer is tasked with actively participating in God’s work of evangelism, highlighting the importance of outreach and the sharing of the Gospel. It serves as a reminder that Christians are to be agents of God’s grace, bringing the hope of Christ to those who are lost, much like fishermen casting their nets into the sea.

Q: How does the miracle of fishes relate to God's grace and mercy?

The miracle reflects God’s grace, providing abundance where there was previously barrenness, much like His saving grace in our lives. The miracle of fishes portrayed in Luke 5 serves as an illuminating metaphor for God’s grace and mercy in the lives of believers. Simon Peter and his partners faced a frustrating night of fishing without results, which mirrors the spiritual barrenness experienced apart from Christ. When Jesus intervenes, their nets fill to the point of breaking, illustrating grace overflowing beyond mere sufficiency. This act foreshadows the unmerited grace that God offers to sinners, rescuing them from spiritual emptiness and providing the extraordinary gift of salvation. The transformation from barrenness to abundance parallels the saved life of a Christian, where God’s mercy abounds in every aspect of existence.

Q: Why did Simon Peter respond with fear and humility after the miracle?

Simon Peter's fear and humility arose from the recognition of Jesus' divine authority and his own sinful nature. After witnessing the miraculous catch of fish, Simon Peter fell at Jesus' knees and expressed, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.' This response reflects a deep awareness of Jesus' holiness and authority juxtaposed with his own sinfulness. Encountering the divine often leads to a recognition of one’s unworthiness, as exemplified in the lives of biblical figures like Isaiah and Job, who also recognized their sin upon encountering God’s glory. Simon Peter's humility is a pivotal moment of conversion and illustrates an essential characteristic of true discipleship: the acknowledgment of one’s need for grace, fostering a proper relationship with Christ. It emphasizes the necessity of humility and reverence in our walk with God, marking the beginning of his transformation.

Good morning. Let's all stand together and we'll sing hymn number 40. Hymn number 40. Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father! There is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not Thy compassions, they fail not. as thou has been thou forever will be great is thy faithfulness great is thy faithfulness morning by morning Mercies I seek, all I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, joined with all nature in manifold witness, to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided, Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Pardon for sin and a peach that endureth Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness Morning by morning new mercies I see All I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Thank you, and be seated. Hymn number 314. 314. I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, and it told Thy love to me. But I long to rise in the arms of faith, and be closer drawn to Thee. Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died.

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to thy precious bleeding side. Consecrate me now to thy service, Lord, by the power of grace divine. Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope, and my will be lost in thine. Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died. Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to thy precious bleeding side. Oh, the pure delight of a single hour that before thy throne I spent.

When I kneel in prayer and with Thee, my God, I commune as friend with friend. Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died. Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to Thy precious bleeding side. There are depths of love that I cannot know till I cross the narrow sea. There are heights of joy that I may not reach till I rest in peace with thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, Blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died. Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, Blessed Lord, to Thy precious bleeding side. Well, lest I be remiss, happy Mother's Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers. Luke it with me in Luke chapter 5. Luke chapter 5. through verse 11, And it came to pass, that as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships standing by the lake.

But the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and 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 and let down your nets now for a draft. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, at thy word, I will let down the net.

And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes 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 our Lord's feet, fell down at the Lord Jesus' feet, saying, Depart from me, I am a sinful man. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, and the draft of fishes which they had taken. And so always was 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. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, you're our master, you're our Lord, you're our savior, you're our redeemer, you're our king, you're our prophet, you're our priest. Everything we have from God, your father, came to us through you. All of our blessings come to us through you, Lord Jesus. We're so blessed to be accepted in the beloved, to be chosen in you before the foundation of the world. And so, Lord, we come with thanksgiving and joy in our hearts, great peace that we have in believing your word and seeing your word. And, Lord, please help me today to be a blessing to the dear saints that's gathered out here today. Pray that the gospel would run well here and find a lodging in the heart of someone that's here. Lord, we're going to sow the seed. We'll sow the seed. We'll cast it out and we'll sow it. And Lord, it's up to you to what ground it falls on. So, Lord, please plow up that heart. Make that heart receptacle to the blessed truth of Christ.

And Lord Jesus, we Pray for those who are sick, frail. We pray for Doc and Janie. Pray for Rick and Helen and others among us who are going through trials and have things in their lives that they haven't mentioned or wouldn't talk about. God, give them, we know your grace is sufficient. Father, now we pray again for our families, all our sons and daughters, are all our families, all our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Oh, God, we have no one to look to but you. We have no one that can do something for them but you.

And, oh, Lord, we pray that you would send the Holy Ghost and convince them of their awful, awful need of the Lord Jesus Christ. Meet with us today. Bring glory to yourself through the gospel, through our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask it in his blessed name. Amen. Amen. Let's all stand together again. We'll sing the hymn of the bulletin.

Free from the law's great curse, In Jesus we are free. For Christ became a curse for us and died upon the tree. The rituals of the law And all the law's commands Have been fulfilled in Christ the Lord Established by His hands No covenant with the law can now with us exist. Complete in Christ we stand by grace, both free and ever blessed.

No more the dread of wrath, no more constrained by fear, we worship and we serve our God with gratitude and cheer in Jesus we are free In Jesus we are free From all the sin and all guilt We live in liberty We'll join the happy soul With all the blood brought flow And sing the praises of the Lamb, Whose grace makes us His own.

I hope you're still in Luke chapter 5. Talk about the miracle of fishes. This is one of the most interesting passages of scriptures to me. Remember last week our Lord had performed two miracles. He cast out a devil and he healed Simon's mother. of Simon Peter's mother. But our Lord Jesus Christ, we're the greatest miracles that he's ever performed when he saved souls like us. You're talking about a supernatural work, a miracle, a miracle that we're saved by the grace of God. It's a miracle.

God has to perform a miracle on us. He has to perform an operation. He has to take out a stony heart and put in a heart that can be touched. He has to take out your mind and give you a new mind. In fact, the scripture says he makes you a new creation, new creature.

And so when our Lord performs a miracle of fishes, it's a miracle that we're saved. We're the greatest miracle, I think, that the Lord Jesus ever were. I think I am. I think I'm the greatest miracle Christ ever performed. And another miracle is that He keeps us saved. In spite of what we are, in spite of what we do, He keeps us saved. He will not let us go. He just won't do it. He just won't do it.

And our Savior was a preacher. He was a preacher. up here in verse 4, in verse 33 and 44. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Salic, of, of Galilee. Our Lord was a preacher. And I believe that he was the easiest to understand, and I believe he was very easy to understand. And, you know, the common people heard him gladly. People that just ordinary, everyday people heard him gladly.

The only people that didn't like to hear him was the Pharisees, the religious people, the Sadducees. The only people did not like to hear what Christ had to say was those people that already had so much religion that they didn't need Christ. And I tell you, if you don't need Christ, you got too much religion. If you don't need Christ, you're in trouble. You're in trouble.

But I will, first of all, talk about his preaching. His preaching. Look in verse 1 with me. And it came to pass, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret. Our Lord Jesus Christ, look at his preaching.

The people pressed upon him. There were so many people there that wanted to hear him, that wanted to hear what he had to say, that they just kept coming and kept coming and kept coming. And there was such a great crowd there that they pressed upon him. And you know, and what did they come to hear? The people pressed upon him to hear the Word of God. They didn't want to just hear about anything. They wanted to hear the Word of God. You know, our Lord Jesus Christ, He was bringing many souls unto God, but I tell you, His Word, His Word is what they came to hear. I look over here in Luke chapter 8 and verse 40 with me. Luke chapter 8 and verse 40. And it came to pass, when Jesus was returned, people gladly received Him. I do the same thing, don't you? I gladly receive Him. Oh, I really gladly receive Him. And look what it says, for they all were waiting for Him.

That's exactly what we're doing right now. We're waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ to come and to get us, to get us. Oh, You know, you remember the story in John chapter 7, and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Pharisees and them sent a bunch of men to take the Lord Jesus Christ. They sent a bunch of men to take him.

And when they got there, our Lord Jesus is doing what he's doing right here. He was preaching. He was dealing with the Word of God. And they stopped and started listening to him. These are some tough men, you know, that they'd send to apprehend the Lord Jesus. But they stood there and they didn't want to interrupt him. So he was preaching and he was teaching there.

And they got to listening, you know, they got to listen to what he said. And they come back, and they said, why didn't you bring him? He said, well, we got to listen to that fella, and I never heard anybody speak like he did. He said, nobody ever, I never heard anybody speak like this man spoke. Nobody, if I've ever, and I've heard a lot of preaching, they'd say. We've been in lots of synagogue, but I've never heard anybody speak like that man right there.

And that's what these people are coming to do. They come to hear what he had to say. They come to hear his preaching. And they, there were so many people that he pressed to go out in the boat. And look what he preached there. He preached the word of God. What do you think he was doing? What do you reckon he was preaching? What part of the word of God did he use?

Did he start in Genesis and start preaching creation? Because everything that was made was made by him and there was not anything made that was made without it. Did he preach creation? Did he preach that he was the creator? That he's the one that spaked the world into existence?

Or did he preach the Passover? Did he say, I'm the Lamb of God? Did he preach the Passover? John says that he's the Lamb of God. Did he preach the Passover? And say, listen, that was talking about me. That was talking about me, Christ being your Passover. What did he do? Did he preach Isaiah 53? What part of the Word of God did he use? I believe he used as much of it as was necessary for these people to become believers. And I tell you what, he wasn't... They come to hear the Word of God. They didn't come to see rituals. They didn't come to hear about laws. They didn't come to talk about ceremonies. They came to hear the Word of God.

And that's what's so precious about going through the Bible verse by verse is because you can see yourself what the Word of God says. You can see yourself. And all my, you remember when our Lord Jesus Christ was walking with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

And they walking along and they said, what are you all so sad about? He said, what are you all so sad about? He said, are you a stranger? Are you a stranger? And right at that time he was. They didn't know him. And they said, Do you don't know what's happened that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and he's supposed to rise a certain day? And, oh my, do you don't know what's happened here?

Well, our Lord Jesus Christ began to talk to them. and opened the scriptures to their understanding, and you know what they said? And they got all the way to the house, walked seven miles now, seven miles is what they went. Seven mile walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. And they got there, and our Lord Jesus, they still didn't know who he was. But he sat there, and they gave him, they said, you go stay and eat dinner with, stay and eat supper with. Well, he opened, he broke that bread, and immediately they knew who he was. And they run, they went, they run back to town. This is 14 miles now. They went seven miles back and said, we saw the Lord. And they said, did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us along the way? Does not our heart burn within us when he talks with us along the way?

Oh my. And I'll tell you, they pressed upon him, touched him, and oh my, this is the, you know, touched upon him to the lake, and look what happens now, you know, look what happens. And look at his pulpit. Look what his pulpit, in verse two and three.

And two ships were by the lake. They was right up to the shore. And the fishermen was out of those boats. They were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out just a little bit from the land. And he sat down and taught the people out of the ship.

Oh, what a pulpit, a ship. I've got a pulpit here. Nice pulpit. Paid big money for this pulpit. But our Lord Jesus Christ sat down in a boat. That was his pulpit. He sat down in a boat. He didn't wait till he was in the temple. That's why a lot of folks, we got to go to the temple. We can't worship God unless we go to the temple. We can't worship God unless we go someplace. We can't worship God unless we go and attend someplace like that. Oh, he didn't go looking for a big building, a great building, a beautiful building to meet in. He used what was provided right there and then. Oh my. He entered into the ship, and I love this right here. He sat down. He sat down.

You know, I could sit down right here and preach. I sat down last, when I was down in Australia, I sat down and preached twice. I sat on a dinner table one time and preached from a dinner table. I'd get up, say a few things, and I'd sit down on the dinner table. Because the people was in the living room, so I sat down at that dinner table and preached to the folks in the living room. And then I sat down in a chair and preached to one man and the folks that's gathered around there. You take whatever you got. You use whatever you have. I remember one time I was out in Oregon. There's five people sitting on a couch. Five people sitting on a couch.

And we was going to have a service and had a little bitty sitting there. And I preached from that table, and we had one of the best meetings I believe I've ever been in. We had a wonderful meeting. You know, and our Lord said, I need a pulpit to preach in. I can't. These people are so pressed upon me. I've got to get back where I can preach to them.

So he got in that ship and sat down. Sat down. Oh, my. Ah, you know where he sits now? He sat in a boat then. Sits on a throne now. Ah, he took the lowest place, now he's got the highest place. He come down to us and went back up for us. And oh my, look what he taught. And look what it says now. And he taught the people. He taught the people out of that ship. Oh, my. And I'm going to tell you something about our Lord Jesus.

The number didn't matter. The number didn't matter. And I'll tell you what, when you start worrying about numbers, you're already in trouble. If you start worrying about numbers, that number of people that you preach to, the number of people didn't matter to Him at all.

You know, He went to Samaria. And the scripture said he must need to go through Samaria. And he walked over to Samaria and he sat down on a well. There's another time he sat down. He was hot, he was tired, and he was thirsty. And a woman came to draw water. He went way out of his way to get to one woman. One woman. And he sat down on that well, and when she got there, she said, give me the drink.

She said, you're a Jew, and I'm a Samaritan. We don't have nothing to do with one another. We don't have nothing to do with one another. Our Lord said, if you knew who you was talking to, I'd give you a drink of living water, and you'd never thirst again.

Oh, you mean you're greater than our father Jacob, who dug this well? This was Jacob. This is the one that got a hold of Jacob and held him all night long and changed the way he walked and gave him a new name. Oh my, but oh my, he says that woman on the way. He come by a tree one time and called one man out of a tree. He can go, that's the way he saves people, he saves them one at a time.

Out of all those people that were saved on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 souls were saved. But every one of those souls were saved individually. Every single one of them had to believe the gospel for themselves. Every one of them heard the word of God for themselves. Every one of them heard Christ for themselves. Christ don't say, you know, he may save a multitude, but they still are saved by themselves one at a time.

It's their heart that he works on. It's his mind that he works on. And oh my, and I, you know, I hope that he'll come and visit you. I hope that he comes and sits down on the throne of your heart and says, I'm going to take this heart. I'm going to set my throne on this heart. I'm going to rule in this heart. I'm going to sit on the throne of this heart. I'm going to dispose you, and I'm going to sit there as your king and your lord and your master. I hope that he'll do that for you. I pray that he'll come and sit on the throne of your heart and bring you down. Oh, my. And he preached to two men walking down the Emmaus Road. You remember that? And he preached. He was in a leper's house one time, a leper's named Simon. You all know the story very well.

And this woman came in, Mary came in, and she began to weep and cry, got down at our Lord's feet, and just her tears just soaked his feet, soaked his feet, just watered his feet. She just wept and cried till his feet were just covered with water, tears. And then she pulled her hair down. It was long. And she pulled her hair down around him, got down close enough to dry his feet with the hairs of her head.

And Simon, when that woman walked in that room, the first thing he said, if this man were a prophet, he'd know what kind of woman this is. What kind of woman was she? She's loving Christ, she's washing his feet with her tears, drying them with the hairs of her head. What kind of woman was this? He said if he was a prophet, he'd know that this woman is a what? Can't believe it. She's a sinner. What in the world is he doing having anything to do with sinners? If he don't have something to do with sinners, he can have nothing to do with us. And our Lord said, Simon, I want to ask you a question. OK, Lord, go ahead.

He said, if a man owed a man 50 pence, $50, and the other owed $500, And frankly, neither one of them could pay. They could not pay their debt. The man that owed 50, he couldn't pay his debt. The man that owed 500, he couldn't pay his debt. Frankly, they could not pay their debt.

He says, who do you think that would forgive him the most? He said, I think the fellow that owed the 500 pence. He said, I think that he'd be the one that would get, you know, for, you know, appreciate it the most. Our Lord said, look and see this woman, see this woman, this woman that you thought about and said she's such a sinner.

He said, I come into your house, you didn't wash my feet. You know why they wash people's feet in the Old Testament, New Testament? Because they wore sandals and their feet got dusty and dirty and they'd wash that dust and dirt off of them when they come in somebody's house. That's what fish washing was about. And you have not washed my feet, and you never gave me no oil and anointed my head. You never gave me no oil to help my face out of the sun. And this woman, she had not ceased to kiss my feet and shed her tears and dry them with a hairspray. And I tell you which Her sins, and this is what our Lord said, her sins, which are many, which are many, which are many. She's forgiven.

Who do you think gonna love much? And I tell you what, me and Angus talking about the other day, the older I get, the older I get, the more precious Christ becomes to me, the more I see my need of Christ. I've always needed him. But the older I get, the more I see my need of him, the more I want him, the more I long to be with him.

And oh, my. And our Lord sat down. And I'll tell you what. He preached in Simon's house and rebuked Simon. So I'll tell you what. He was a preacher. Pulpit was a boat. And his message was the word of God. And his pulpit was a ship. And he sat down. He sat down. Now, look what happens.

Now, when he had left speaking, when he had left speaking, let me take a minute and say something about that. There's going to be a time that Christ is going to quit speaking. And you know, one of the greatest trials a believer faces in this world for Christ not to speak to him for a few services. You come to a few services and Christ not speak to you. You know what you do? You get troubled. You think, boy, this is awful.

Christ ain't speaking to me. Christ ain't visiting me. Christ ain't speaking to me. And he left off speaking. One of these days, he gonna leave off speaking. Will he leave off speaking to you? You reckon he'll leave off speaking to you? You reckon that he has spoke to you enough and talked to you enough and pleaded with you enough that he says, I'm not saying another word to him. I'm not going to speak another word. They don't want my word. They don't want my gospel. They don't want my teaching. They don't want my types. They don't want my blood. They don't want my righteousness. They don't want my power.

So I just believe I won't say another word to him. I believe I'll just, I believe I'll stop up their ears and they won't hear another word I got to say. See how comfortable you get because I ain't talking? Imagine how comfortable you'll be when Christ don't talk. Christ don't speak. Oh, he left off speaking the word. Didn't look what he said.

He said unto Simon, take your boat and go on out in the lake, launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draft. Launch out into the deep. Now let me tell you something. Did I, Lord, say, Simon, I would really like for you to cast your net and go out into the deep? I'd appreciate it if you'd go out into the deep. If you'll use your free will, and while I give you the chance, you could launch out into the deep." No, our Lord gave a commandment. He said, launch out into the deep. It wasn't an offer. It wasn't an invitation. It was a command. You launch out.

Do you reckon he said, well, wait a minute, Lord. I don't know if I want to do that or not. But our Lord Jesus Christ, and where he directs us, he'll provide. And he said, let down your nets for a draft. And look what he said. This happened twice. And Simon answered, he said unto him, master, we've told all night and we've taken nothing. Told all night and have taken nothing. He admitted that his labor was in vain, but look what he says. Nevertheless, at thy word, I'll let down the net." Oh, my.

But at thy word, at thy word, he just, they come to hear the word. At thy word, at thy word, the heavens were created. Here is the cause of all causes at thy word. Every cause that's the cause of all causes that's happened in this world, he's the cause.

At Thy Word. At Thy Word. At Thy Word. At Thy Word. Oh my. Here's the cause of all causes. At Thy Word. Let there be light. At Thy Word. Let there be a day. Let there be a night. And let them be separated. At Thy Word. The world continues. At Thy Word. We have seasons. At Thy Word. We have kingdoms set up. At thy word, we have kingdoms taken down. At thy word, we have empires set up and empires taken down. Oh, my.

At thy word, at thy word, prophecies come forth and they become history. You know, when Isaiah wrote Isaiah 53, that was Close to almost 700 years, over 600 years before Christ ever come. And every word of it is about the Lord Jesus Christ. Every single word is about Christ. And that was hundreds and hundreds. Now it's history. Now it's history. Now it's history.

And then, nevertheless, at thy word, I'll let down the net, and, O Lord, speak, speak, And look what happens now. And when they had this done, they done what he said to do. He said, let's out into the deep. They did. Let down their net. They did. And when this was done, oh, you thank Christ. Just in his word, look what it says. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishies, and their net break. Their net break. Oh my.

You know why they said they'd toiled all night? Once you know what they was doing, they had already fished all night, and they was cleaning their nets. They's done fishing. And our Lord says, now wait, just go back out. Go back out. And they beckoned, and their nets just started to break. It was so heavy.

And all this is trying to lift it up. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were the other ship, that they come and help them. They had so many fishes that it took two boats, two ships, to get them all in. And they come and help them, and they came and filled both ships that the boats set way, way down in the water. You think, man, we're not going to get back to land. We're going to sink.

Oh, my. Oh, and you know, they were at all mine. Look what it says in verse nine. For he was astonished, they were astonished. They were astonished. Oh, my. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see. Astonished. They were astonished. Well, that's something to be astonished at. They had tolled all night, and I'd caught nothing. This is the way our master does. We labor for nothing.

Look in John chapter 21. Go over in John's Gospel, chapter 21. Look what it says down here in verse 3. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They said to him, we'll also go with you. They went forth and entered in a ship. Immediately, and listen to what it says here, that night they caught nothing. That's what they just told the Lord. We've worked all night long and we have taken nothing. And you know what that tells us? That without Christ, we can do nothing. And look what he goes on to say.

But when the morning was now come, Christ always brings a morning with him. Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew him not. Then the children, then Jesus said unto them, children, have you any meat? They answered him, no. And he said unto them, now listen to this now. Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find Our Lord works in a way that there's impossible, impossible not to know it's Him. He has a way of dealing with people and doing things that it's impossible not to know that it's Him.

And let me show you another thing. Look in Ephesians chapter 3. Oh my, Ephesians chapter 3. Look in Ephesians chapter 3. Look over here in verse 20. They caught so many fishes that their net was breaking. Thought they was gonna sink their ships. They were astonished.

Look what it says in Ephesians 3.20.

Now unto him, that's who we're talking about, unto him that's able to do exceedingly abundantly, above all that we can ask and above anything we could possibly think of. Now you think we've always asked for some pretty big stuff and we can even think bigger than we can ask. But look what he says. He's able to do exceedingly abundantly all that we ask And all we think, you think those fellas said, we told all night.

That's what they was thinking. We caught nothing. That's what they was thinking. But now, according to the power that works in us. Oh my. This is the way our master does. Back over in our text. This is the way our master does. We've labored, take nothing, he speaks, and we have more than we could ever possibly imagine.

And look what Simon Peter said in verse eight. When Simon Peter saw it, saw this miracle, saw all this fish, saw all this multitude of fish, it took two ships to handle them, he fell down at Jesus' feet. Jesus in that boat still sitting. He's still sitting down in that boat, Simon's boat. And he fell down at Jesus' knees. and said, Depart from me, Lord.

I am a sinful man. Depart from me. Why would anybody ever say, Depart from me? Why would anybody say that? The Samaritan says, Depart from us. And he did. He never went back again. But Simon Peter said, Lord, depart from me. I'm a sinful, for I'm a sinful man. Look what it says back up here in verse 42 of chapter 4. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place. And the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him. Now see that they came unto him and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. And Simon says, Depart from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man. Why would anybody say this? Why would anybody say this? I'm going to tell you why. I'm going to tell you why.

He saw Christ in his glory. He saw Christ as the master of the sea. He saw Christ as having dominion over the sea and over the fishes that's in the sea. He saw Christ in his glory. He saw him as the Lord. He called him master. And now he says, oh, Lord, you're the Lord. You're God.

He saw himself in the light of Christ, and it made him see himself. Now, I've said this countless times, you don't see yourself sinful and then go to Christ. You never see yourself sinful until you see Christ. Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, and his glory filled the temple.

And you know what he said? He said, woe is me. This is Isaiah, he's a prophet. And the year that King Uzziah died, he had his eye on King Uzziah, and he said, Oh, Lord, woe is me. I'm undone. Why? I saw his glory. I saw him sitting on his throne. I saw him in his power. And he said, Oh, woe is me. I am undone. I ain't got nothing. I was a preacher until I heard you. I was a prophet till I saw you. I thought I knew something till I saw you. I thought I understood the word of God till I saw you.

I'm a man of unclean lips. My mouth is filthy. Poison of asbestos under my tongue. And everybody around me is in the same boat I am. They're all unclean. And I, oh my, Job defended God for 42 chapters. And finally the Lord come and spoke to him. Job! Job!

Where was you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Where was you when I had all the gold and on the hills and the mountains? And where was you when I was wisdom? And Job said, I heard about you. I heard about you. Now my eye sees you. I see you, Lord. I see you. I see you, Lord. I heard about you. Now I see you. I see you. I heard of your power one time. Now I see your power. Now my eye sees you.

And oh, my, I abhor myself. And I repent in dust and ashes. Oh my, you'll never abhor yourself. And I've said this again, that if a man ever becomes a sinner, like Simon Peter did this day on this boat, he's a saved man. If you ever become a sinner, a genuine bona fide sinner, you're a saved man. And that's why Simon Peter said, depart from me, Lord, I am sinful. Now he didn't say I made mistakes. He didn't say I'd done something wrong. He didn't say, I'm sorry, I committed a few sins. What he said was, I am a sinful man. I am sinful. Not what I do, what I am. I do what I do because I am what I am. And I'll tell you something, he didn't expect mercy. Oh, no, he didn't expect mercy. He knew he didn't deserve it. Oh my, he didn't deserve it.

Oh, you know, people tell people all the time, if you'll repent of your sins, Jesus is savior. If you could be repent of your sins, you'd do something nobody ever did without Christ granting them repentance. People say, well, if you believe Jesus is savior, you can't believe until Christ gives you faith. People's got the cart before the horse. They want people to do something for Jesus to save them. And Christ only saves people who can't do nothing.

And no, they can't do nothing. Oh, my. Oh, he didn't expect mercy. He knew he didn't deserve it. Here is self-denial. Here's humiliation. I've nothing in me. In my hand, I got nothing in my soul. I got nothing to offer you, Lord Jesus. He saw the distance between himself and the Lord.

And what he's saying, you'd be just to depart from me. If you left me to myself, fishing, catching nothing, cleaning out my nets, want to take another shot at it, if you'd have left me to myself, you'd have been just to do that. But oh, my. all were astonished. He said even John and James in verse ten. But now look what our Lord our Lord gives such consolation to his people. Listen to what he said. And they were partners with Simon and I listen to what our Lord said to him now. Fear not. Don't be afraid I'm going to depart from you. Don't do that. I'm not going to depart from you. I'm not going to leave you to yourself. I'm not going to leave you to yourself. Fear not. I'm not going to depart from you.

You know, our Lord, over in 2 Timothy 2, it says, he says, you know, we may deny him, but he'll never deny himself. Simon Peter denied him three times, but Christ would not deny himself. Where was Christ at? If he denied Simon Peter, he'd deny himself. And he cannot deny himself. And we may fall like countless times, but he never denies himself and his people. And that's what he does to Simon Peter. He did not deny Simon Peter.

Fear not, I'm not going to depart from you. I'm not going to depart from you. Not going to do it. And oh my, look what he says. From henceforth, you're going to catch men. You're going to catch men. And I hope, how long have I been preaching? Let me give you just one more thing and I'll quit. I want you to see this over in Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. Verse 41 and 42. This is on the day of Pentecost now. It's on the day of Pentecost. Look what happens now. Verse 41.

Then they, they gladly received his word. Oh, we gladly receive his word. Christ, they did. And were baptized in the same day. There were added unto them about 3,000 souls. He told him to be a catcher of men. Caught 3,000 men the first time he preached. Oh, listen. He throwed that net out this time and caught 3,000 souls. And watch, watch. they contend fastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship. Oh, my.

Whatever the apostles said, they said, that's what we're going to do. That's what we're going to believe. That's what we're going to believe. And look what it says in verse 11, and I'm done. And when they had brought their ships back to land, now they came back where they started from. Look what it says. Now, they had so many fish. I mean, they had both fish, both Ships full of fish. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all. Forsook those fish, forsook those boats, forsook those nets. And watch what it says. Followed him. Followed him. I ain't going to follow nobody else, are you? I ain't going to follow nobody else. I'm going to follow him. I'm going to follow him. There goes these steps. I'm right behind him.

Our blessed Savior, thank you for allowing us to gather here this morning. Thank you for your precious, precious, precious word. We have this treasure in such a awful clay pot, but the treasure is what's precious, not the pot, the treasure. God, I thank you for the treasure, this glorious treasure by Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel. God, cause it to bring forth fruit today if he would please you to do so. And, oh, Lord, keep your dear people, preserve them. the opportunity again, privileged to preach the gospel this side of eternity.

And Lord, we need you. We need you. And Lord, nevertheless, at thy word, we'll do what you say. In your precious name, amen. Amen. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim. in the light of his glory and grace. I'll see you Wednesday, God willing.

"The Miracle of Fishes"

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the miracle of fishes in Luke 5?

How do we know that Jesus is powerful and can perform miracles?

Why is the concept of Jesus being the 'fisher of men' important for Christians?

How does the miracle of fishes relate to God's grace and mercy?

Why did Simon Peter respond with fear and humility after the miracle?

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"The Miracle of Fishes"

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the miracle of fishes in Luke 5?

How do we know that Jesus is powerful and can perform miracles?

Why is the concept of Jesus being the 'fisher of men' important for Christians?

How does the miracle of fishes relate to God's grace and mercy?

Why did Simon Peter respond with fear and humility after the miracle?

Sermon Transcript

About Donnie Bell

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