Luke 5:1 – 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,

Luke 5:2 – And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

Luke 5:3 – And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

Luke 5:4 – Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

Luke 5:5 – And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

Luke 5:6 – And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

Luke 5:7 – 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.

Luke 5:8 – When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

Luke 5:9 – For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

Luke 5:10 – And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

Luke 5:11 – And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Hello readers, new blog today. I haven’t blogged as much of late, been a little bit dry spiritually. It’s amazing how dry one can get so quickly. Samson had just won a great victory in Judges 15, and he got dry. He threw away his jawbone and the Bible says he was sore athirst. Samson prayed to God for water that would revive his spirit and soul. We are in a constant need for revival, we get out into the world, we go cold on God, the fire goes out… and we dry up. Remember those withered up, and impotent and blind and halt folk that Jesus came to see at the pool of Bethesda. Are you withered up in life? I grow vegetables and the last thing I want to see is withered up leaves and fruit. We shouldn’t be Christian casualties people. So many people are casualties, they’re castaways, they’re out to pasture, they’re all dry up. We should be soldiers, and we should be warring the good fight of faith. Faith is a fight people. We want faith, but we don’t want the fight that comes with it. It’s an absolute fight to believe and obey and follow Jesus Christ.

I’ve been on holidays recently as well, but back at work now. I’ve had a number of things of my mind, and a number of things I’ve wanted to blog on, but it turned out to be this today, what Jesus said to Peter… Launch out into the deep. Launch out into the deep reader. If you’re a Christian and you want to follow God and obey him and make a difference in your life and see the power of God in your life… there’s a launching out that needs to happen first. A launching out in faith because Jesus said so. If you’re not saved, it may look like pretty deep water, launching out in believing on Jesus to save you from a life of sin. But it’s worth it.

Launch out into the deep. It’s enough to make you shudder right. Going out into deep waters. We are shoreline Christians mostly, we don’t like to launch out into the deep. We can drown out in deep water. Deep water is unknown and scary. Going out our comfort zone, going in the deep end with Jesus Christ and for Jesus Christ… that’s where God wants us. He may want you, reader, to launch out into the deep in your life rather than staying comfortable but doing nothing, catching no fish, watching on rather than getting involved on the shoreline. You’ll never see the power of God, the provision of God, the glory of God on the shoreline. It was only those who launched out who saw the miracle, who got their net full. Do you have an empty net today… your life is empty, it’s vain toil… launch out into the deep. Why? Because Jesus said so. And he’s with you and he’s going to do it all.

So this story applies on so many different levels and how God speaks to you through his word may be different to me to you, we are all at different stages in life, different situations. But I pray this takes relevance to you in your life today. We all have to launch out into the deep if we want to go somewhere with Christ. He’s in the boat, are you going to get in and push out from the shoreline with him?

God’s got somewhere for you to go in life. Do you want to just sit around, or do you want to get moving in obedience to him. You were born not to stay a babe, but to grow in faith, to grow in grace and knowledge of truth. We should be growing and moving forward as Christians. God’s got a place for us to launch out to. Recently I’ve been thinking about the picture of Israel being delivered out of Egypt, and taken through the wilderness to Canaan, the promised land. That’s a picture of the believer’s journey. God didn’t just deliver them from Egypt, he delivered them “out of” to “go into”. Salvation is so much more than getting out of going to hell. It’s a new creature, you believe on Jesus Christ and a journey starts. God’s got destination Canaan for your life as a believer.

It’s one thing being saved, but it’s another to follow God in obedience in your life and have personal victory over sin and live the life that God has for you. God has a Canaan for each one of us. Oh that it were as easy as getting out of Egypt and going straight in. And it is that easy. And it would’ve been for them too. Except there was a problem. Instead there was unbelief, murmuring, complaining, rebelling, lusting, fornicating, the lot. It kept them out of Canaan. It kept them wandering and wasting. I hope not to be a wanderer and a waster. How about you? What’s going to prevent you from  going in to Canaan? What’s going to stop you from launching out? Is it that same fear and unbelief that these guys had? They sent some spies in there, they saw the walls and the giants… and even though God had told them to go in and promised it to them, and even though they’d seen his mighty power in delivering them from Pharaoh… they were filled with fear and unbelief. And it stopped them from ever going in.

Out in that wilderness it was a story of sin. Maybe you’re there, going in circles because of sin in your life. You’ve arrived at no Canaan because of your rebellion and lust. God took them out of Egypt, but they never had Egypt taken out of them. It was in their heart. What’s in yours? What needs to be cleaned out so that you can be fit for the masters use? Before the full nets… you gotta wash your net. Before God’s going to fill your life, there’s some things that need to be kicked out. We need to kick out that rebellion, that pride, that envy, that bitterness, all that love of darkness. We need God’s grace to do so. Sin in our life will keep us out of Canaan. Our nets are so full of stuff that needs to be cleaned out. That’s what those disciples were doing in this story… they were washing their nets. Oh we need washing. Our life needs cleaning out. That’s what the Holy Spirit does to us through the washing of the water of God’s word.

What could’ve been a short journey from Egypt to Canaan was instead a forty year journey. And only two went in… two that had a different spirit. Not many are going in people, and not many are launching out. You’re going to need a different spirit in you, a different spirit to the spirit of this world. Maybe you’ve decided the deep is not for you. Well it’s not for me either. It’s not really for any of us. The key is in trusting Jesus Christ. Maybe you’ve settled for shoreline Christianity. You know, some tribes settled for the land before Jordan, they said Moses this is good enough for us. They weren’t at the promised land, they hadn’t seen Canaan, but they said, nah we are happy here. Is where you are good enough for you? You don’t want to cross the flowing Jordan, you’re happy this far in your Christian life… but no further. God I’ll settle down here. It didn’t turn out that well for them, and it won’t for you, so often we settle for so much less than God has for us. Canaan was worth it, obeying God in your life will be worth it.

Hopefully I’m not rambling, but I’m setting the scene for the blog today. Because this blog is more aimed towards Christians, to people who would be the disciples of Christ just as Peter and company were. You can be a shoreline believer, standing on the shoreline watching on, or you can get in the boat and be a deep, a full net Christian. How far do you want to go with Jesus Christ? Would you rather be comfortable leaving the obeying God to someone else? Yeah you want to hear, and yeah you’re interested, but you’re not in the boat. You’re not looking for a full net. You’re happy with what you’ve got in life not what God has for you. Back on the shoreline, many people had been pressing to hear God’s word… but  when they heard it… what then? Many people cool on Jesus Christ, they cool on following him when they hear what he’s got to say. They’re not opposed to him until they find out what he requires right.

Once you’re saved, you’re called to serve, to be a blessing to others… you’re called to be salt and light in this dark world, you should have rivers of living water flowing out your belly… you should be making a difference, you should have a care for souls, there should be new life in you with new desires and motivations. Yes we have different callings and abilities but every Christian has a ministry and ability to impact others for Christ.

So often people get saved, or entertain the idea… but those deep waters put them off. I’ve been put off by deep waters before. Jesus is going to take us to deep water. That’s why people draw a line in their Christian walk, or even refuse him because they see the deep water ahead. Because of the deep water we don’t go with Christ. You know, Jesus was on the boat out in the deep, not on the shoreline. Maybe you’ve lost sight of Jesus Christ, because you’re not going with him. It was too deep for you. Launching out into the deep is scary… but it is a command. And that’s one thing we don’t realize, that God’s word is a command, it’s not a negotiation. When God’s word is the authority in your life, that’s when your life will start heading in the right direction. Peter did question God’s word out in the deep, he said… you sure Jesus? Jesus why should we bother. But Peter did obey his word… and in obedience comes the blessing.

Even though the waters are deep, Jesus is with you there. See, he doesn’t tell us to do anything that he doesn’t give us the grace to do. He’s not on the shoreline while we are out fending for ourselves, he’s there with us, and he’s in control. It’s in the deep waters where you get to know Jesus Christ, where you see  his power and glory, just as the disciples did. In deep waters you find a bit about yourself as well, just like Peter found out a bit about himself. In seeing Christ, he saw himself also, and could only say I’m a sinful man Lord. The further you go with Christ, the more you see his grace and mercy and our complete and utter unworthiness of him. They glorified Jesus Christ out in the deep. The deeps a scary place, but it’s a place of the power and moving of God in your life.

Getting saved is the start of a journey with God… and there’s a going into the deep. In the deep is where the fish are caught. That’s where lost souls are. Salvation of souls is deep waters for us. But the big fish are there. You know, witnessing to others is deep water. It can be very scary. Our flesh has no desire to do it. Maybe your deep water is trusting God, maybe it’s simply obeying God’s word. Launch out on a life of obeying Jesus Christ, it’s when you launch out that you’ll get a full net, a full life, and a life that impacts others.

Maybe you do have a care for others as a believer, but you’ve caught nothing in your life. You don’t seem to be doing any good. There’s a lot of people trying to do good out there… but they’ve caught nothing. They’ve got an empty net. Because they’ve been trying to do things their way. How are you going to fix that? Wash your net. Get right with God, get in line with his word, obey his word. You’ll help people by telling them the gospel, nothing else. God’s word is what truly helps people, the gospel is what people need to hear, those fishermen would end up being fishers of men because they preached the gospel. You want to do some good… you want to make a difference, you want to get somewhere in life and be a help to others… get right with God and obey him and stand on God’s word, hold forth the word of life to the lost sinners.

The Bible speaks about the washing of the water of the word. God’s word is what will wash our life out. It’s good to have a good wash. After a long day of work, the best thing is to have a shower and wash yourself with water. We need to get some things washed in our lives before God is going to use us. We need to get the dirt and grime dealt with. We need to get clean. Sin needs to be acknowledged and confessed and dealt with. Being washed and right with God makes us fit for the master’s use. If you want to be used by God, we need to get our act together. And that’s not “doing better”. It’s getting honest with God, getting in line with his word, and letting the word of God cleanse our soul and our lives. You’re not going to be any use to anyone if you aren’t washed first in the blood of Christ and washed by the water of the word of God. You need the word of God both in your life and to extend towards others… or you won’t be catching nothing.

You notice in this story that the disciples obeyed Jesus Christ. That’s all God requires of us. True belief results in obedience. If you’re fully convinced of something as truth, it’ll affect how you think and act. It can’t not. Imagine if we just obeyed what Jesus Christ tells us to do in his word. Sure, Peter first of all told him why it wouldn’t work. We are always ready to debate and dispute God’s word right. To doubt what we are being told. We are always quick to tell God why it’s impossible, why it can’t be done, why it’s futile. But it’s not a waste of time, nor futile to obey Jesus Christ. Get him on board and obey him and your life will make a difference.

God wants you to have a full net, not just in terms of reaching others for Christ, but in blessing your life. He came to give us life, and life more abundantly. Do you want a full net of hope, joy, peace, love? Jesus Christ gives all those things. It’s a lie of Satan when we believe that believing on Jesus Christ is wasting our lives, we kinda thing that following Jesus Christ is going to be an empty net. But really, the empty net is our life here and now in disobedience to him. It’s worth it to obey and follow Jesus Christ. God will fill your empty net, reader. Maybe your life is empty, dirty, vain, worthless… you’ve put all your effort in and nothing to show for it. That’s the life of the lost sinner. At the end of it… it’s vain toil. You’ve tried catching what you wanted your way… and you’ve come up short. You need Jesus Christ… if you want a full net life.  If you want a life that’s blessed by God, that’s full of truth, hope and love, if you want your life to count and matter and make a difference, you need Christ.

You know, God is interested in what you’re doing. And he’ll use your skills and talents and gifts he’s given you. These guys were fishermen. Jesus wasn’t above their craft, their common job. They were the kind of people Jesus hung out with. And it goes to show that we need to get get Jesus in the center of all our life, not just for a few minutes of your week, not just at church, but all the time. When Jesus is central to all we do, that’s when our life will make a difference and be full.

The life of obedience to God’s word, the life of following Jesus Christ… it involves launching out into the deep. I don’t know what your deep is. I don’t know what scares you, what makes you afraid, or where you are unwilling to follow Jesus Christ to. That’s ok, Jesus Christ came to earth as a man to rescue us. He came to where we were, like that Good Samaritan. He found us. He’s not going to require anything of you that he doesn’t give you the ability to do. But he does require obedience to his word. You’re not going to see no full net, you’re not going to see his power and glory on the shoreline. There were many that missed out on this miracle. You can be on the boat and launch out, or you can stay on the shoreline. You’re a hearer, but not a doer… you don’t want to get involved enough to risk getting wet, you don’t want to have to do any work like chucking the net out. Heaven forbid your life involves actually trusting Jesus Christ… you’d rather a life within your control and power.

The life of the Christian can be deep water… but in the deep is where the fish are. It’s where the salvation of sinners are, it’s where the impacting others for eternity is… there’s a big catch out there… a catch so big their nets were bursting. God will fill up your life more than you think you can take that’s the truth. What’s it going to be for you? Is God telling you to launch out into the deep? Just launch out… let him provide the fish, let him sort it out, just obey him and fall in line. Yes those waters are scary, they’re dark and deep, but if you’re onboard with the Lord Jesus Christ, you’ll be just fine reader. Wash your net and head out even into the deep waters, that’s where Jesus is at, go where he’s heading rather than with this lost dark world… he’s where it’s at.

You know, last verse… they forsook all and followed him. We gotta follow this guy. He’s the real deal. See they knew Jesus Christ for themselves. You see, in the deep experiences, when Jesus Christ reveals himself and his power more to you, firsthand!, you’ll want to follow him more and more. When God is with you in the deep, that’s a life changing experience. You can tell the people who’ve been in the deep with Jesus Christ… there’s something different about them. They’ve been in the deep end… they didn’t just sit on the shoreline twiddling their thumbs having lost sight of Jesus and wondering what was happening. Sure it was safe, but it was also going nowhere and achieving nothing.

So many people don’t follow him, because they’ve just not wanted to launch out, they never launched out… and their life was never changed… once you launch out it will be so worth it. Just launch out today… just launch out by simply believing in Jesus Christ as your Saviour. If you are saved, just obey God how you know how to according to his word today… it’s worth it. He’s the one who will fill your net. He will fulfill your life, he will give you purpose, and out in the deep, you’ll get to truly trusting him and knowing who he is. It won’t be second hand accounts, you’ll know him for yourself. That’s what changes your life, when it, when HE becomes your life. Don’t keep yourself at a distance, hop in the boat, launch out in faith, he’s still God in the deep waters… believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

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