| Leave it behind (Part 6 of 'God Calling') |
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| Written by David Charlton |
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Scripture Luke 5:1-11 While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 2 And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, 7 they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Summary and Purpose Summary: When God calls, there are elements in our lives we must leave behind. God wants total allegiance. Our loyalties must be directed first and foremost towards Jesus. We can’t serve two masters.
There are certain elements in our lives that will distract us from serving Jesus alone. These elements we must leave behind. Our sinful habits and desires are obvious elements we must leave behind. There are, however, other distractions in our lives that are not sinful but prevent us from accomplishing the purposes God has for us. We must also leave them behind. These non-sinful distractions could be career, hobbies, relationships, wealth, affluence, power and prestige.
The apostles left everything to follow Jesus. They were able to follow Jesus without distractions. What is getting in the way of your relationship with God? What do you need to leave behind?
Purpose: To help the congregation to demonstrate total loyalty to Jesus.
The Sermon I. Introduction: A tale of two struggles A. The fishermen’s struggle · There was a group of fishermen who lived approximately 2,000 years ago. Their names were Peter, John and James. · They made their living on the Sea of Galilee · Their entire livelihood depended on their ability to fish · They were experts at fishing. They did it all their lives. It was in their blood. Their fathers and grandfathers were most likely fishermen. · Usually they caught enough fish to make a good living. It was a good life and their own ability as fishermen seemed to be all they needed. · Then, one night they caught no fish at all. No matter where they threw their nets, no fish came up. · When morning came, they returned to the shore distraught and worried about how they were going to eat and earn money. B. My friend, Robert Totman’s struggle · I met Robert on my first KAIROS two years ago. (KAIROS is a prison ministry. We spend a weekend with the prisoners introducing them to the love of Jesus and then visit them every month. For more info on KAIROS, go to http://flkairos.org) · By worldly standards, Robert was a huge success. He was the “Distinguished Honor Graduate” at the Air Traffic Controller school. · He became an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) at New York Air Route Traffic Control Center. He made over $150,000.00 a year. · Robert felt he was in control of his life and could do whatever he felt like doing – Drank a bottle of whiskey every night, used various drugs. He did what he enjoyed. He was in control, or so he thought. · September 11, 2001 occurred while Robert was on duty. Witnessing the collapse of the twin towers and the deaths of over 3,000 people demonstrated to Robert that he wasn’t in control. · Robert began to have recurring nightmares. His alcohol and drug use spiraled out of control. In mid 2002, the Federal Aviation Administration fired Robert for not complying with drug testing procedures. · Also by mid 2002, his marriage was ruined with divorce papers signed and paid for. All he had to do was drop the papers off in the mail. · By October 2003 Robert was suicidal. · Robert was struggling C. The fishermen’s deliverance · The fishermen (Peter, John and James) pulled their boat up the shore. They got out of the boats and began to clean their nets. · As they were washing their nets, they noticed a man with a large crowed gathering around him. This man was obviously a wise man with important wisdom to impart. The wise man was Jesus. · Jesus got into Peter’s boat and asked Peter to push him out a little ways into the way. Jesus then began to teach the crowed from the boat. The crowed was mesmerized. No one said a word as Jesus taught. · After he taught the people, Jesus looked at Peter and told him to bring his nets back in and take the boat back out. · Peter protested that He and the two others were expert fisher men and didn’t catch anything all night long. He, however, did as Jesus said. · They put their nets down where Jesus said and caught most fish they ever caught. Their nets began to break, so they yelled for their other fishermen friends to come and help. Both boats began to sink under the weight of the multitude of fish. · Peter began to realize that Jesus was special, maybe even divine. Peter said, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.”Jesus replied, “Don’t be afraid, for now on, you will be catchers of men.” · Then Peter, John and James left everything and followed Jesus. D. Robert Totman’s deliverance · Although Robert was living life on his terms, he still took his family to church every Sunday. He wasn’t a Christian and didn’t live a decent life but, by attending church, he thought that made his sinful lifestyle ok. · Robert attended church his whole life. As a teenager he felt the call to ministry. · Being an ATC meant having a high salary and a free and wild lifestyle. So, he ignored the calling to preach and pursued his career as an ATC but continued to attend church. · On one Sunday in October 2002, he entered the church smelling flowers. There were no flowers in the sanctuary. Later he realized he was experiencing the presence of God. On that Sunday he gave his life over to the Lord. · Robert was immediately delivered from drugs, alcohol and sex with no ‘rehab’ or counseling. The divorce never occurred and his family became strong. · Robert became a disaster coordinator for the Salvation Army. · In 2005, Robert quit his job. Then Robert and his wife sold their house and gave away everything they owned to the poor. They did this so they could devote full time ministry to the poor. · In 2009, Robert received an invitation to become a pastor in North Dakota. After several months of prayer, he moved from Jacksonville, Florida to North Dakota to be a pastor there. · Like the apostles, Robert left everything to answer God’s call in his life. (To learn more about Robert, go to www.churchinND.com . Click on ‘recent messages’ and then scroll down to Feb. 13) II. Following Jesus means leaving stuff behind A. Jesus said · “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) · "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26) B. Peter said to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27) · Jesus replied, “I assure you that when I, the Son of Man, sit upon my glorious throne in the Kingdom, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will have eternal life.” (Matthew 19:28-29) C. Following Jesus means giving total allegiance to Him. Jesus and His will comes first, before everything else!! · There are certain elements in our lives that distract us from following Jesus · These elements may or may not be sin. Some elements may be distractive to you but not others. · We all need to identify what distracts us from following Jesus and get rid of them. · By doing this, we become more committed followers of Jesus and experience the peace and joy that comes with a closer walk with God. D. Some of the elements in our lives we may need to leave behind in order to follow Jesus · Careers · Affluence, wealth · Job security · Certain relationships · Hobbies · Sin, sinful behaviors, sinful attitudes · Politics · Power, prestige · Popularity · Familiarity and comfort III. Conclusion: What do you need to leave behind? |
