Becoming Disciples

Becoming Disciples

Luke 5:1-11

In Luke chapter 5, Jesus is just beginning His public ministry in the area around the Sea of Galilee. One day He was standing by the shoreline teaching
the Word of God and the multitudes were pressing all around Him.

Jesus then saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake so He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the
land. He then sat down and began teaching the multitudes from the boat. This would have created some distance so He could address the whole multitude,
but the water would also have become a natural amplifier of His voice.

But the real point of the story is what happens after He had finished teaching the multitudes, He then turned to Simon and said, “Put out into the deep
water and let down your nets for a catch.” Right away we should pick up that this is not about teaching Simon to catch fish, Simon already knew all
about it, he caught fish for a living.

This was about making Simon a disciple of Jesus Christ. And that’s where we can put ourselves into the story because God’s heart is that we also would
become disciples of Jesus Christ.

This story is absolutely filled with amazing insight into what it means to become a disciple and the transforming power that will have in our lives when
we apply those same truths as well.

But before we look at this story, let’s step back and take a broader view for a moment. First of all, what does it mean to be a disciple? The root meaning
of the word is “one who is learning.” But it has a deeper meaning than just being a student. To be a disciple meant to follow after the Teacher
and to become like Him in character, thought, word, decisions, and manner of living.

To find a teacher in those days meant that you would learn how to live your life; his wisdom would become your wisdom, his character would become your
character. You can take classes and learn how to have a career, but where do you learn how to have a life? That’s what it meant to become a disciple
of Jesus Christ. That’s what we need today. Becoming a Christian is not just a matter of having your sins forgiven and your name written in the Lamb’s
book of life; it’s about becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. It’s about having His wisdom become your wisdom and His character become your character
and His manner of life become your manner of life.

Another thing we should also observe is that God loves to use unlikely people. It gives Him great glory to see those who are simple grow in wisdom and
stature of God.

Here at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee Jesus is going to receive four disciples and they are all fishermen. How unlikely is that? Jesus is going
to turn the world upside down using simple fishermen? He’s going to take a tax collector, hated and despised by everyone, except by other tax collectors,
and make him a disciple of the Son of God? How unlikely is that? Then to the other extreme, He’s going to take Saul, a legalistic religious Jew, trained
in the highest universities, and a violent persecutor of Christians and then make that man a disciple of Jesus Christ? How unlikely is that?

Who are you? Simple? Unsophisticated? Good, you’re just the ones God is looking for…

Acts 4:13, Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:25-29 God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise

I. Disciples Respond to God’s Word

• When Jesus told Simon to let down his nets for a catch, Simon at first argued with Him, trying to convince Him that it was a waste of time.
• Simon knew this was the wrong time to be catching fish, especially using nets; that’s the point of fishing at night…
• But the next phrase is key to what it means to become a disciple. He said, “…but at your word, I will let down the nets.”

A. Nevertheless…I will do what you ask

• This has a very practical application because many people have an independent mindset and love the idea of being “master of their own destiny.”
  This has dangerous consequences.
• Many people, when they hear God giving them direction, argue with God and dismiss it out of hand, “I was fishing all night and didn’t catch anything,
  no fish are there.” End of discussion, issue closed.
• In truth, what Jesus asked Simon to do didn’t make good fishing sense, but He was asking Simon to do it as a matter of faith.
• Here’s the point for a disciple of Jesus Christ, be willing to attempt the impossible. If God is in it, anything can happen. Many people will quit
  at the first sign of an obstacle, but God is able to do far more than you can imagine.

Ephesians 3:20, Now unto Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us…

• But Simon did what Jesus asked. “Nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the nets.” And the result was a great quantity of fish.

B. God blesses faithfulness

• You might have seen this principle before; it’s a constant theme in the Word of God. A true disciple of Jesus Christ needs to have this principle
  written on his heart, backwards and forwards.
• It’s easy to argue with God, but when you add that one extra phrase, “Nevertheless, at Your word…” That’s allegiance, that’s faithfulness
  from the heart.
• That takes trust that the Lord knows what He’s doing. In other words, be willing to make the Lord, truly your Lord.

Luke 6:46, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

• To call Him, “Lord, Lord” requires a couple of things; first of all, it requires humility. This is because we tend to be so independent minded.

• It also takes faith that God knows what He’s doing. Logic did not help Simon understand why the Lord wanted the nets cast right then.
• We can now step back and see that Jesus was not trying to teach Simon a new approach to fishing, He was teaching Simon about faith and the power
  of God’s presence in his life.

Illus – This reminds me of a story. Many of you are perhaps too young to remember when the Dallas Cowboys were a good football team. Many years ago, they drafted Roger Staubach an accomplished quarterback. The problem was that he was used to calling all the plays himself, but he was drafted onto the team that was coached by Tom Landry, who was considered a genius in football strategy; and called every play…

The problem is that many people are used to being their own quarterback of their lives.

• When Simon did as Jesus directed, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break. Jesus was giving Simon a prophetic insight
  into the effectiveness of obedience, because Jesus was going to make him a fisher of men.

C. We must master our own desires

• To be a disciple of Jesus Christ means that we must master our own desires to the obedience of Christ. Simon didn’t really want to let down the
  nets; to him it was a waste of time, but he did it.
• Imagine what God might do in the life of a disciple that is that responsive to His Word.
• There are some great scriptures that give us great insight into the effectiveness of obedience.

1 Corinthians 9:27, … but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

2 Corinthians 10:5, … we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

Hebrews 5:14, But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Hebrews 4:12, For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit… and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Illus – I remember reading about how they used to train Arabian warhorses. They went through much training and discipline, but there was one great and last lesson… the desire for water.

II. Disciples Know Who They Are

• When Simon Peter saw the great catch of fish, he fell down at Jesus’ feet saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
• First of all, we should understand that Simon is still quite immature in his faith and Simon’s words are a response of spiritual immaturity, though
  we can certainly understand his reaction.

• This is actually a common reaction that people have when they first encounter the Lord, “Depart from Me Lord, because I’m a sinner, separate yourself from me, Lord, because my life is messed up.”
• “I don’t want to hear that, I’m a sinful person, turn the channel…” is a common reaction of the world.

A. Know who you are in Christ

• If we could only know who we are in Christ, we would have a very different reaction; instead we would say, “Depart from me sin, I am in the presence of the Lord.”
• That attitude of heart is a major shift and it comes from knowing who we are in Christ.
• Simon said, “I am a sinful man.” Do we sin? There is no one without sin, that’s true, but where do we find who we are? How do you identify yourself?
  “I am a liar, I am a thief, I am an adulterer?”
• When we are in Christ we have a change of perspective about who we are. The enemy is called the “accuser of the brethren” and wants to remind you
  of the things you’ve done that are sinful. The problem is that it’s true, so people don’t know how to give an answer.

Romans 6:1-7 Our life is now hidden in Christ.

• We are not who we used to be, we are now in Christ, our eternity is found in Him, our hope is found in Him, or forgiveness is found in Him, and
  our life is found in Him.
• May we know this and stand firmly in this truth to know who we are in Christ. Then we will say, not as Simon who is young and his faith, “Depart from me, Lord,” but instead we would say, “Depart from me, sin, I am in Christ.”

B. Leave the old behind

• When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Jesus.
• These men are becoming disciples of Jesus Christ. There is a point at which maturity sets in and is seen when we leave the old behind.
• Some people can leave the old behind in one wondrous renewing of their heart, for other people it’s a gradual process. And maybe it’s a little
  of both.

Illus – Many people carry a sack of their old stuff with them, but they get tired of carrying it around and take things out and give them to the Lord one thing at a time.

• Leaving the world behind is the process of discipleship.

Illus – For me, it was my music. I left the old behind, little by little, but one day I realized it was only music anointed by the Spirit that ignited my soul.

2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.