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| The entire AOC Sunday Report is RIGHT HERE! |
The
Fifth Sunday after Trinity.
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G
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The
Collect.
RANT, O Lord, we beseech thee, that
the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that
thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
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I
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T 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 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 for a draught. 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. And when they had this done, they inclosed
a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 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 Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I
am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at
the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 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.
And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed
him. (Luke 5:1-11)
Unless a Christian or a minister is called of God, he will not follow Jesus. He
must be both called and chosen. This principle is born out more acutely in
today's text. It is the THIRD calling of Peter, James and John - and it is the
EFFECTUAL calling of the three for they forsook all and followed Him on this
Third calling. Peter, especially, seemed one who was hard-headed of hearing.
The Lord had called Peter to follow Him three times, He had told Peter that he
would deny Him three times, He asked Peter, “Lovest
thou me?” three times, and He told Peter to “Take and eat”
(Acts 10) three times. This latter calling to take and eat had nothing to do
with the ceremonial food laws, but the acceptance of the Gentiles into the
church. There is an overruling principle here that our Lord will not give us
rest when He calls and chooses His disciples. He will continue the call in
increasing intensity until the Spirit has prepared the heart to respond. In
human reason and logic, which covets its own will, this principle is resisted
to the end that salvation comes to rest upon human will and not that of God. For
the three callings of the three, see John 1:35-42, Matthew 4:18-22, & this
present text above.
As the 17th Article of Religion confirms, based on many Scriptural
proofs, and which I quote in part:
XVII. Of Predestination and Election
Predestination to Life is the everlasting purpose
of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath
constantly decreed by his counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and
damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them
by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honour. Wherefore, they
which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God, be called according to
God’s purpose by his Spirit working in due season: they through Grace obey the
calling: they be justified freely: they be made sons of God by adoption: they
be made like the image of his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ: they walk
religiously in good works, and at length, by God’s mercy, they attain to
everlasting felicity.
God calls and chooses, and He does not relent. He will have that which He lays
claim to. “Is
it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall
be first, and the first last: for many be
called, but few chosen.” (Matt 20:15-16) “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and
ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit
should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may
give it you.” (John 15:16) He had chosen you, too, if you are a disciple of
Christ, and the Holy Spirit drew you nigh unto God as a fisher’s hook in the
jaw.
Now to the greater detail of today’s Gospel Text: Jesus stands on the shore of
the Galilean Sea (Gennesaret) and saw two ships standing there unoccupied. He
chose the ship belonging to Simon Peter. When God chooses His Elect, He also
chooses their all – “lock, stock, and barrel!” Ask your mom or dad if
you know not what this latter term means, or see the footnote of the written
version of this sermon[1].
All that you own, have owned, or ever will own, belongs to God the Father. We
can give nothing to Heaven but that which Heaven has given to us.
. . . . 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. There were so many
people pressing about Jesus that He needed a separation from them to preach.
Today, the minister may get so close to the people that he will begin to preach
what THEY want to hear, and not that which God has spoken in the secret
chamber. I believe humor is important for health and happiness; however, when
in the pulpit, it should not be the center of attraction. The Gospel is
serious, and we must be serious in preaching it. So we separate ourselves by some
distance when preaching. That is the purpose of the pulpit and, I might add,
the true minister will separate himself from his own worldly thoughts, too,
when preaching. Jesus sat down and taught the people as was His frequent
custom. He did so because He was the Teacher – He had the Authority.
4 Now
when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and
let down your nets for a draught. This was most certainly early morning
since the ships were sitting idle and the fishermen were cleaning their nets
(which they did always after a night of fishing). Jesus has fully orchestrated
this moment from before the foundation of the world. He has the chosen
disciples, He has the boat, He has the soul hungry people on shore, and He has
the great sea filled with fish who also respond to His call. But the command of
Jesus to the disciples (Peter, James, and John), does not seem at all rational.
The morning sun is not a good time to fish since the fish are not feeding at
that hour and they can also more easily see the net. The best time is in the
darkness of the night, and the disciples had been fishing all night long
without profit.
We are very much like these three disciples. We labor in earnest but nothing
seems to avail. But when Christ arrives on the scene, and we do His bidding,
the results will be quite different! 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. It is obvious that Simon (Peter) has the
stuff disciples are made of for he was willing to ignore his own impulses and
follow the command of the Lord – even if it defied all reason to Simon. Why can
we not all say, with regard to personal affairs, and national policy, “nevertheless
at thy word.” “No matter how little your Word makes sense to me, Lord, I
will nevertheless, like a good soldier of the line, obey without hesitation!”
We make strong nets to catch fish, and large and elaborate buildings to
accommodate worshippers, but these are never sufficient to the purpose when God
is in the matter. 6 And
when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their
net brake. I would love to have seen the expressions on the faces of the
disciples, and the crowd ashore, when so many fish were gathered as to break
the net! Why are we always surprised when God performs a great work or miracle
in our lives? And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other
ship, that they should come and help them. The work of preaching and
evangelizing is not a one-man show – it is a joint effort of the Church. We
must trust and depend upon one another to help in the harvest. But the
tremendous returns of God to our meager investments of labor are dwarfed at the
blessing and size of it! “And they came, and filled both the ships, so that
they began to sink.” No one at Galilee had ever witnessed such a prolific
catch of fish – and what an unusual hour for it! If we labor not to harvest the
crop, God will set our fields on fire. If we hear His Voice and obey, He will
bring forth showers of blessing. There was not an un-amazed observer either at
sea or on the shore that day in Galilee.
When
Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I
am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at
the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and
John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. Only God commands
the sea and the creatures of the deep. Peter, though a common sense kind of
seaman, was overcome with astonishment at this miracle and knew, without doubt,
that he was in the presence of the Lord of Heaven! So did his comrades know it.
The question is this: Do YOU really know it? In your quiet times in closet on
by the sea, do you know and feel the presence of the Lord of Heaven? And
Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth
thou shalt catch men. Truly. Peter became just that as well as
the other two disciples present.
This third calling of Christ to the disciples – Peter, James, and John – was an
effectual calling as evidenced by the last verse: “And when they had brought
their ships to land, they forsook all,
and followed him.” We also must bring
our catch to shore, or to Heaven. God may have called you to His bosom many
times, but you have yet to respond. Have you yet forsaken all and followed
Jesus?
Lock, stock, and barrel is a merism (figure
of speech) used predominantly in the United Kingdom and North America, meaning
'all', 'total', 'everything'. The effective portions of a gun (or more
specifically a rifle) are the lock (used to hold ready the sparking mechanism);
the stock (the portion held), and the barrel (the aiming guide and conveyor for
the explosive-driven ball). Collectively they are the weapon, therefore,
everything.
