WENT FISHING!!! NOW WHAT???

We live in a "World of Celebrity," where the stars of sports, film, music and even politics are revered and put up on pedestals as paragons of virtue with the ideals and goals for which we reach.  Most of us understand that there are heights to which we will never ascend, goals we will never reach and riches we will never attain but it doesn't mean we stop dreaming.  Then we wake from our dreams, reality hits and we realize that we are not "Celebrity" material.  NOW WHAT???

Unfortunately the “World of Celebrity” has invaded the church.  We revere the mega-church pastor, idolize the worship leader and race to hear the latest speaking star.  We have dreams…one day the church I pastor will have to move to the sports arena, I will be the one that pens the #1 praise and worship song, God will inspire me to write the “Prayer of….”  and my calendar will be filled with conference speaking engagements. Then one day we wake from our dreams and reality hits.  Our congregation of 25 faithful members is growing older, our melodious voice cracks when the pitch raises above middle C, the phone is silent, the calendar empty and the inspiration to write out a sermon, let alone a book, has dried up and blown away.  NOW WHAT???

I wonder what dreams ran through the heads of Peter and Andrew as they labored through the night trying to catch enough fish to sell and buy the necessary items for another day.  Did they dream of being named "Top fisherman of the Year" in Galilee?  Perhaps they dreamed of inventing a pulley system with which to pull in the heavy nets more easily.  They would be Star-Fishermen.  Everyone would know the names, Peter and Andrew.  Just maybe, they could buy a new boat and run "Pete and Andy's Charter Fishing," teach tourists to fish and enjoy life a little more.  As the hours passed, they repeated the process of letting down their nets and pulling them back into the boat.  But for some reason, this night, the nets remained empty.  Finally, reality hit and they pulled the nets in for the last time and began to wash them and make them ready for the next night.  NOW WHAT??? 

Luke 5:4-6  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master we have toiled all night and caught nothing, NEVERTHELESS AT YOUR WORD I will let down the net."  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking.

When reality shattered the dreams and goals became unreachable, along came Jesus.  Jesus didn’t promise them “Celebrity” status, He didn’t promise them that they could mark anything off of their “bucket list” or that they would gain great possessions, Jesus simply said, “let down your nets one more time.”  Jesus used where Peter and Andrew were and what they were doing and said, “Just give it one more try.”  Their obedience, even in the face of doubt, paid off BIG TIME!!!  Oh and by the way…Peter and Andrew did become famous….You knew exactly who I was speaking off just by me writing their first names.

Perhaps you are going through a season of your spiritual journey in which you can TOTALLY RELATE to Peter and Andrew.  It may seem that in an attempt to fulfill your ministry calling, that your net continues to come back just as empty as when you cast it into the deep.  Reality has finally penetrated your brain and after pulling in the net for the last time, you have begun to wash them and ready them to be stored away.  At times you doubt if you were really even called to be a “Fisher of Men.”  You realize that you will NEVER see your name on the marquee and you wonder NOW WHAT???

STOP!!!  LOOK AND LISTEN!!!  Jesus is saying, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”  God isn’t concerned with your past history, He is concerned with this moment; where you are and what you are doing RIGHT NOW!  You have a choice to make…you can dwell in the perceived reality of the situation, fold up your nets and go home OR like Peter, say “I’m not sure it will work but NEVERTHELESS, at Your word, I will let down the net.”

GO AHEAD; I DARE YOU!!!  Give God’s Word a chance!!!  Do not allow Satan to cheat you out of a “RECORD CATCH” because you didn’t trust God enough to obey.  You may not ever pastor a mega-church, be asked to speak at a conference or write the next bestseller devotional but YOUR LABOR IS NOT IN VAIN!!!  Let down your net ONE MORE TIME, God has prepared a catch just for you. 

Who needs a rickety ole pedestal anyway?

YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

There is at least one in every classroom...The teacher asks for a volunteer or asks a question and that one kid immediately raises his/her hand.  Not only do they raise their hand, they wave it.  And if that isn't enough, they get their mouth involved and the classroom is filled with "ooh, ooh, ooh" or "me, me, me" because they want to be CHOSEN.  Perhaps you were more like me.  It wasn't that I didn't know the answer or was too lazy to volunteer; deep down I wanted to be CHOSEN but I was too shy to raise my hand and I definitely didn't want everyone looking my way as my name was called.

No one wants to hear, "I guess you HAVE to be on my team," because you are the only one left standing on the sideline.  And it certainly doesn't give your self-esteem a boost when you've been asked to do something and a "friend" feels the need to elevate themselves by informing you that "they were asked first but had to decline, so you were chosen."  We all have a desire to be picked out of the crowd; set aside for a special purpose; CHOSEN.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, we find that a select group of people were called THE CHOSEN.  The Israelites or Jewish people were set aside as God's CHOSEN PEOPLE.  It doesn't seem fair that God, who is no "respecter of persons," would pick out a specific people-group from all the other people-groups in the world to be His CHOSEN.  So why?  How did the Jewish people come to be chosen?  Is there a key to being chosen?  Or was God just in a certain mood on the day He chose Israel?    Maybe on another day, He would have chose a different nation.

Could the key to being CHOSEN be as simple as three little words: HEAR, TRUST and OBEY!  Consider Israel, God's Chosen People...It all began with ONE man.  Abram wasn't born to the most holy, religious family and I don't believe he was walking around with his hand raised to Heaven, yelling, "ooh, ooh, me, me; please pick me."  Abram was 75 years old when God "made the call."  God gave him some instructions but very little detail.  The Bible doesn't explain where Abram's trust in God came from, but he HEARD the voice of God, he TRUSTED and he OBEYED.  Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him.

Hebrews 11:8 BY FAITH, Abraham OBEYED when he was CALLED to go out to the placed which he would receive as an inheritance.  And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

As we continue to read about Abram/Abraham's life, we find that every time he obeyed through faith. Because of Abraham's unwavering faith and obedience to God, his descendants became THE CHOSEN.

Abraham was not unique, read Hebrews 11.  Noah DID come from a "good" family.  As a matter of fact, the Bible takes the time to trace his lineage right back to Adam...Lamech, Methusaleh, Enoch, Jared, Mahalalel, Cainain, Enosh, Seth, Adam.  The Bible tells us that Noah had many brothers and sisters; after all his father lived 777 years.  WHY NOAH?  Genesis 6 tells us that the world had become so evil that every thought and intent of man was evil, BUT NOAH!  Genesis 6:9 Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. NOAH WALKED WITH GOD.  God made "the call."  Noah HEARD, responded by FAITH and OBEYED the instructions.  Genesis 6:22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

Hebrews 11:7  By faith, Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet see, moved with Godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became the heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

All throughout history, God has CHOSEN men and women, who were not special or had awesome abilities.  God's CHOSEN are people, just like you and me.  People that will HEAR the call, by FAITH respond and in an act of OBEDIENCE follow the instructions,

YOU'VE BEEN CHOSEN!!!  GOD WANTS YOU ON HIS TEAM!!!  God calls on the "little boy" who has no "athletic" prowess, standing hopeful on the sideline.  He calls on the "little girl" who knows the answer but is too shy to raise her hand.  He calls the grandmother who thinks she has "nothing left to offer."  And God calls the grandfather who feels as if his "best days are over."  God has a plan and He has chosen you; now He waits for you to respond, "Here I am , send me."  

YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!!!

PLEASURE IS NOT AN OFFSET

DONUTS; one of those rare “Saturday morning treats.”  If I had to list my choices for a last supper, donuts would be somewhere high on the list.  I’m sure they will be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb; an appetizer, dessert or both.  Coffee in hand, jelly-filled donut on plate, ready to enjoy this moment of pure pleasure when Steve made this statement, “I know donuts are not good for you but the badness is offset by the pleasure you get in eating one.” 

Well I still enjoyed the donut but that moment of euphoria was lost in the whirring of my brain.  You see PLEASURE IS NOT AN OFFSET!!!  Oh they look so good and taste even better, but as you savor every delicious bite, never a thought is given to the fact that you are really eating sugar, flour and fat, cooked in more fat.  The NAKED TRUTH is, eating donuts will eventually destroy your health.

I watch as so many journey aimlessly through life with sin as their constant companion and I wonder if they believe that all the “badness” of sin will be “offset” by the pleasure they derive from their daily indulgence.  I want to scream STOP!!! PLEASURE IS NOT AN OFFSET!!! THERE WILL BE A PRICE TO PAY!

  

In the sermon, “ACHARIT; The Final End,” Dr. Michael L. Brown states, “Satan shows you the bait, he doesn’t show you the hook.”  Satan will show you the pleasure but never the pain.  You won’t get a glimpse of what is contained in the gooey goodness of temptation until you are hooked, then, awaken to the end result.  He will bait you and draw you in but the PLEASURE is never an offset for the PAIN!

 I wonder if the PLEASURE of eating the forbidden fruit offset the BADNESS that Eve faced as the consequences for her sin began to rain down upon her.  King David wept bitterly at the death of his son and repented as he realized that the PLEASURE he sought in Bathsheba could not OFFSET the sorrow he now felt because of his sin.  Then there was Moses, when faced with a choice, chose long term gain over short term pleasure.

Hebrews 11:24-26, By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

So, if PLEASURE is not an OFFSET to the consequences of sin, is there a remedy, a serum, a way to escape the Wages of Sin, stated in Romans 6:23.  YES, read the rest of the verse…

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The only OFFSET for the BADNESS brought by sin is JESUS CHRIST!  But it doesn’t stop there, as Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more!”

PLEASURE will not OFFSET the eternal sentence of death brought by sin any more than it will offset the damage eating donuts will do to your body; it requires a lifestyle change.  You have to come to the realization that a “bite of donut is a bite of poison” and STOP!!!  STOP eating, buying, fantasizing, or smelling donuts and begin a PHYSICAL DETOX.  Fill your body with clean, healthy foods and start moving; walk, run, bicycle, dance; MOVE!  Soon you will begin to have more energy, less heartburn and literally feel as if a weight has been lifted from your body. 

The same with sin; STOP!!! SIN IS POISON TO THE SOUL!!! STOP putting yourself  in tempting situations, fantasizing, lusting, and taking just a tiny taste.  Begin your SPIRITUAL DETOX by allowing God to fill you up with the Holy Ghost, feast on His Word, and exercise your relationship through prayer.  Soon you will feel the guilt of sin lift off your life, there will be a lightness in your step and joy in your heart.  PLEASURE is not an OFFSET, it takes the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST!

THIS SHALL BE A SIGN

2 Peter 3:3-4 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

Lest we forget, God has always given reminders of His faithfulness and Satan always tries to co-opt the same signs to draw our eyes back toward ourselves and our own lusts.

Genesis 9:14 The rainbow shall be in the cloud and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.

After the ark came to rest and Noah left to walk on dry ground, God promised that he would never again destroy the earth by water and as a reminder for all generations, He placed a rainbow in the clouds.  Of course that sign has been co-opted by people who mock the laws of God and follow their own lusts.  To those who have an intimate relationship with the God who created the rainbow, joy still fills our heart every time one appears, reminding us of God’s love and faithfulness to His creation.

Matthew 2:2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

Matthew 2:10-11 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.

Just last week, Venus and Jupiter came so close together that they appeared as one bright star.  Some called it the “Star of Bethlehem” as it passed through the constellation of Leo, a reminder of the star followed by the wise men in search of the Christ Child, the Lion of Judah.  Many mocked as believers were reminded of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling prophecy by sending a Redeemer who would die to save people from their sins, but to those whose sins are forgiven it brought rejoicing and we worshipped.

Job 38:31-33 Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

Psalms 19:1-3 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.

If you study the constellations and what has come to be known as the signs of the Zodiac, you will see the beautiful story of redemption.  But of course Satan could not be silent, so he perverted the study of the stars, constellations and planets into a “science” called Astrology.  Rather than rely on the faithfulness of God to guide his steps, man began to look to the stars and read daily horoscopes to foretell the future and determine his destiny.  Of course man desired not just any destiny, but one that would satisfy all his longings and lusts.  Do you really thing an Astrologist or Psychic reader would last very long if they only foretold doom and gloom? But to we who have put our trust in the One who “guides the Great Bear with its cubs,” we look at the brightness of the each star, feel the warmth of the sun and know that God not only controls the earth on its axis but has a plan for each one that shelter beneath His “wings.”

John 14:1-4 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Before Jesus ascended He promised His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for all who believed and obeyed the things He had commanded.  Then one day He would return and take those believers with Him to the place He had prepared.  And lest we forget, grow weary and began to doubt His faithfulness, there would be signs in the Heavens to remind us that we are not forgotten.

Luke 21:25-28 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

Satan through humankind, will continue to mock, pervert and use the things set by God for his purpose and his followers may laugh, mock and scoff at the reports of earthquakes, pestilence, blood moons, Shemitah years, eclipses and “Stars of Bethlehem,”  but to the Redeemed they are just reminders of God’s Eternal Faithfulness.  That one day, “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."  1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

GOD IS FAITHFUL.  I STILL BELIEVE, DO YOU?

2 Peter 8:3-9 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.