Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Mend the nets of focus week 2






Luke 5:1-11 NLT [1] "One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on Him to listen to the word of God. [2] He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. [3] Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So He sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. [4] When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish." [5] "Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if You say so, I'll let the nets down again." [6] And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! [7] A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. [8] When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me-I'm such a sinful man." [9] For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. [10] His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, "Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people!" [11] And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus."

1.      The challenge of caring for the seemingly insignificant.
1.      Usually when I hear a message of evangelism, my first reaction is a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
1.      Oh no, I havent won my family, my school, my coworkers, my city; I havent evangelized every person I have met.
1.      In fact, its been awhile since even one of my friends has gotten saved.
2.      About that time an overwhelming feeling of condemnation and discouragement tries to settle in my heart, which is the Devils goal.
1.      So I try to justify myself: After all, with the billions of people in the world, what can I do anyway?
1.      Its not like Im Billy Graham, who saw over 1.6 million recorded decisions at his rallies, let alone the hundreds of thousands of other people who heard him preach the gospel.
1.      If we start thinking this way, we will be defeated before we start.
2.      If hell keeps us captivated by the thought and overwhelming work load of ministering to the world, then Jesus' sacrifice can never be fully realized.
1.      Millions of people need Jesus Christ.
1.      If we don’t start with a little, we will never accomplish a lot.
1.      If we will give complete and absolute laser focus to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, He will do the rest.
2.      The Gospel is Good News because it means freedom from slavery to sin, freedom from selfishness and an eternity with God.
1.      Significance and selfishness are incompatible.
2.      There is no individual who is insignificant to God.
2.      Significance through insignificance.
1.      The way Jesus operates is different than how culture operates.
2.      To Jesus, the way up is down—the road to greatness is paved in and through servanthood. 
1.      Great leaders are willing to leave the ninety-nine to go after one individual.
1.      Sound crazy?
2.      This is the way God works.
1.      Small acts of kindness are big to the person receiving them.
1.      It's our Love for God in action.
2.      It may happen that a mere smile, a short visit, the raking of some leaves, the preparing and giving of a meal could make someone’s day.
3.      How about writing a letter for a blind man, fixing a broken door, reading a book for someone, or visiting an inmate?
1.      Something small, insignificant to you but life changing to it's recipient.
1.      My wife TK is living proof that a smile, a friendly hello, and a ride to church can really encourage someones life.
1.      Van and Bus Ministry.
1.      Even with our kids along, she said my children will never disable me to minister. 
2.      Tiffany, Thomas, Tyler and Timberely.
3.      TK had this mantra, still does, that I am the first person they see before church and the last person they will encounter after church, I will do and give them my very best, always. 
1.      Just think of how many lives have been affected because one individual stepped out, mended the broken net and said, "I will choose to make a difference in the life of this person."
3.      Launch out a little.
1.      I doubt Jesus would have led Peter to his miraculous catch if he had resisted the first command to launch out a little: “few in number, effort or time.” 
1.      God asking us to put out a little bit of effort and time to touch a few peoples lives. 
1.      I still remember the day one of my coworkers Brian came to church with me.
1.      To be honest, I wasnt trying to win him to Christ; I was just working diligently with him to achieve a team bonus at work.
2.      We were working so hard when I realized that I needed to go. He asked, “So where you headed off to in a hurry?”
1.      I immediately replied, “Oh, you know, church.” I had talked to him about church before but nothing ever really stuck—or so it seemed.
2.      He responded right back, “Can I come?” I stopped and said, “Yeah, sure, absolutely!” I was floored. 
3.      I didnt realize that just making a concerted effort with him had really made that much of a difference.
1.      That night, a Wednesday night Brian responded to the altar call and gave his life to Jesus.
2.      I am afraid we have things backward too many times.
1.      In the Christian world I mean, doing big events to reach people is vogue and makes headlines.
1.      But before you hold an event to see your entire campus saved, why not begin with loving one friend?
2.      Before you try to feed all the homeless people in your city, why not start by feeding one?
3.      Before you move to Africa to build an orphanage, take the neighbor kids, whose parents just got a divorce, to the local pizza place.
1.      If you dont launch out a little and touch the life of those around and about you, will you really be ready for the big event?
3.      Jesus, help us to see the value of what seems insignificant.
1.      Guide us every moment so that we don’t overlook opportunities to minister to people.
2.      Youve asked me to be faithful with what is in front of me.
1.      Show me how to demonstrate Your love to my family, friends, classmates and even my enemies.
4.      Churches get more focused on taking care of the aquarium than they are in mending nets.
1.      We've not been called to just be keepers of the aquarium but to fish for people.
2.      Many churches refuse to invite, welcome or minister to outsiders.
1.      They make decisions based on who they are trying to keep rather than who theyre trying to reach.
1.      When churches are small, they are overlooked.
2.      When they grow, they are criticized.
3.      When they are large, they are resented.
1.      So I just ignore all that and I just seek to do God's will.
1.      God's will is that none should perish or be destroyed but that all would come to salvation and repentance.
3.      If we choose to never mend the nets we are essentially saying, I don't care.
1.      Jesus never left us in a state of helplessness or hopelessness.
2.      As a matter of fact scripture teaches us that Jesus will never leave us, desert us or forsake us.
1.      Hell would like nothing more than for us to stay silenced and heaven would like nothing more than for us to mend every net.
1.      Catch every one.
1.      Mend the nets of patience.
2.      Mend the nets of fear.
3.      Mend the nets of insecurity.
4.      Mend the nets of disengaging.
5.      Mend the nets of forgiveness.
6.      Mend the nets of honor, respect, and love.
7.      Mend the nets of kindness, grace, mercy, and long suffering.
4.      When we become so self entertained, self indulged, self involved we have shifted the cause of Jesus into selfishness and pride.
1.      Two thing Jesus never allowed into His life and ministry.
1.      He was friendly, He was kind, He was caring, He was compassionate in fact He is still all those things and so so much more.

Illustrate Here: Boat, net and poles...
1.      I can have all the right tools.
2.      I can have all the bells and whistles but if I never put them to work, what good are they?
1.      Fishing Methods: Hand gathering, spearfishing, angling, or trapping: low-tech or high-tech, net fishing or pole fishing, by all means just fish.
3.      I can all know all the right locations, honey holes, and sweet spots if I never venture toward them, what benefit is there?
4.      I can criticize them, ridicule them, judge them, and ignore them, yet that will never put one of them in the boat.
1.      We congratulate and accolade each other for our use of the equipment God has given unto us, when the Gospel is solely about Jesus!
1.      Just catch people.
5.      The challenge of confidence in the face of failure.
1.      I believe with all my heart God and heaven calls out to us to minister and serve with confidence.
1.      The disciples had fished all night and caught nothing, yet Jesus commanded them to "launch out" and “go out to where it is deeper." 
1.      Jesus was testing their confidence.
2.      Too many Christians struggle with their confidence to be witnesses.
1.      Too many of us hesitate to launch into someones life to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
3.      Until we are more confident in God and His Word than we are concerned for our own well-being and reputation, we will never launch into peoples lives.
1.      The disciples also had to choose whether they were going to respond in confidence or be paralyzed by their past failures.
4.      You may find yourself agreeing with everything that has been said up to this point, but in the back of your mind a little voice says, I have tried all this before.
1.      I know it’s the right thing to do, but reaching people just doesn’t work for me.
2.      Start exercising the following three principles in order to overcome your doubt and lack of confidence:
1.      Christ is our confidence.
1 Corinthians 1:18 "The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God."

2.      Our confidence is not based on results.
Hebrews 11:1 NLT [1] "Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see."
1.      God knows that at times we will be tempted to lose faith if the results arent as we anticipate; therefore, He encourages us:
Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT [35] "So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! [36] Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that He has promised."

3.      Confidence is not the denial of failure:
1.      The confidence that comes through Christ enables you to put failure in its proper place.
1.      If you have failed due to your own sin, you can be set free from condemnation through the work of the cross.
Romans 8:1-2 NLT [1] "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus."

4.      If you seem to have failed when you stepped out in obedience to Gods Word, you have to trust that He is in control:
Romans 8:28 NLT [28] "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

5.      Not all things are good but God causes all things to work toward our good.
1.      He will use anything to propel us forward, to propel us into growth, to propel us into His vision and we might fail but we'll fail forward as He is in us.
2.      Once we overcome and have a confidence based on Christ, we are ready to launch out into the deep and go to places we have never gone before.
1.      God will accomplish what He sent me to do.
2.      Youre a rewarder of diligence and faithfulness.
1.      God reward my obedience to Your Word with the salvation of people.

The priority is to stay focused.









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