WHEN HE CAPTURES YOUR HEART

Transcription

1 This sermon is from the series THE LIFE OF CHRIST on the theme THAT WE MAY KNOW HIM. It was preached by Pastor Paul Mims at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Cherry Log, Georgia on March 22, You can hear this sermon at WHEN HE CAPTURES YOUR HEART Luke 5:1-11 I would like to describe for you our visit to Capernaum. As we approached this very interesting biblical site we could see the beautiful bougainvillea that covered the entrance. This is where Simon Peter lived. We were shown the rock foundations of a house from the first century which it is thought was Simon s house. It is located close to the water of the Sea of Galilee. As we walked around the village we saw the ruins of a synagogue which created very interesting images in our minds of how Peter, James, and John could have worshiped there. There was also a wine press which was actually a large round stone which is called in the Scripture a millstone. Everything about this place was picturesque and was so enticing that we could envision Jesus living here for a while as he made Capernaum his headquarters in Galilee. He moved here after his rejection in Nazareth. Although it is only a large lake which is 13 miles long and 8 miles wide the Sea of Galilee is known also as the Sea of Tiberius or the Lake of Gennesaret. It is 680 feet below sea level and this provides the tropical like climate that makes this area so attractive. In New Testament times, there were nine villages clustered around it shores. This is the setting for the Scripture we are considering today. As you recall, we have already seen how Jesus met Andrew and Peter who were listening to John the Baptist preach down by the Jordan River. They heard John say, Behold the Lamb of God. They were attracted to Jesus and began to go with him. The next day they encountered Philip and Nathaniel who joined the walking tour of spiritual teaching. We can say that this was when Simon Peter was

2 called to faith in Jesus. Today, we are going to see his call to servant hood. This is when Jesus really captured his heart and life. After being with Jesus for a little while as a follower and learner, Peter went back to his vocation as a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. He had found the Messiah and was satisfied and fulfilled in his discovery. But there was much more that he would come to know. How did Jesus capture his heart so as to claim his entire life? How does he capture our hearts beyond our initial faith in him? I. HE CAPTURES OUR HEARTS WHEN HE REVEALS TO US MORE OF WHO HE IS. It all happened in the daily course of events in Peter s life. A crowd had gathered around Jesus as he was standing by the lake teaching them the word of God. He saw two boats come into shore after a night of fishing. The fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. Jesus got into Peter s boat and asked him to put out a little way from the shore and he continued to teach the people from the boat. When he had finished teaching the people, he said to Peter, Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch. Now Peter knew the art of fishing and the habits of the fish. He usually fished at night because the fish would rise from the depths of the lake and feed at the surface of the water. They would do so as long as it was dark, but when the sun rose they would descend into the depths of the lake again. Peter knew that it was useless to attempt to fish during the daylight hours. Peter and Andrew were in partnership with James and John in their fishing trade. James and John were in the other boat. This was one of those nights where they could not find the fish and had caught nothing. When Jesus told him that there would be a big catch if he would let down his nets, Peter did not believe him. But because Jesus was who he was Peter said, But I will do as you say and let down the nets. To the amazement of all, the nets began to be filled to the breaking point and

3 almost caused Peter s boat to turn over. Immediately, he called to James and John who brought their boat over and helped him control the surging net full of fish. They filled both boats so that the weight lowered the gunwales of the boats almost to the water level. Peter knew that this was not a natural occurrence for something supernatural had happened. Archaeologists discovered a boat in the Sea of Galilee dating from the first century. It was 26 ½ feet long and 7 ½ feet wide. You can see that these boats were not the type of little rowboats with which we are accustomed. They had to be seaworthy because of the storms that would arise on the lake. Through this experience Peter saw Jesus in a deeper dimension. He saw him as having authority over creation. This was indeed an epiphany when Peter saw beyond the physical Jesus that he had called Master. He immediately changes the terminology of who Jesus is and calls him Lord. Peter immediately saw his deity for no human being could perform such a miracle as he had just seen. It is amazing how quickly such a deep insight can come to us. Biblical scholar Charles Hodge said, The Greek word for Lord is indeed used in scripture in the sense of master, and as a mere honorary title as in the English, Sir. But, on the other hand, it is the translation of Adonai, supreme Lord, an incommunicable name of God, and the substitute for Jehovah, a name the Jews would not pronounce. It is in this sense that Christ is 'the Lord, the Lord of Lords, the Lord God'; Lord in that sense in which God alone can be Lord--having a dominion of which divine perfection is the only adequate or possible foundation. This is the reason why no one can call him Lord, but by the Holy Spirit. It is a confession which implies the apprehension of the glory of God as it shines in Him. It is an acknowledgement that He is God manifested in the flesh. Blessed are all who make this acknowledgement with

4 sincerity; for flesh and blood cannot reveal the truth therein confessed, but only the Father who is in heaven. Have you ever had a time in your experience when Jesus revealed to you a deeper understanding of who he really is? This usually comes when he does something that relates personally to our lives. He reveals himself as Lord of our circumstances. We can rejoice in what he does in the lives of others, but it does not have the same kind of meaning for us as when he invades our own experience. Napoleon, exiled on the Island of St. Helena, is reported to have been struck with the reflection that millions were now ready to die for the crucified Nazarene who founded a spiritual empire by love, while no one would die for Alexander, or Caesar, or himself, who founded temporal empires by force. He saw in this contrast a convincing argument for the Divinity of Christ saying: "I know men, and I tell you, Christ was not a man. Everything about Christ astonishes me. His spirit overwhelms and confounds me. There is no comparison between Him and any other being. He stands single and alone." II. HE CAPTURES OUR HEARTS WHEN HE SHOWS US WHO WE ARE. When Peter had this epiphany and understood who Jesus really is, he fell down at his feet in the boat and said, Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man! Every experience in fishing that he had ever had and every law of nature that he knew said that what he had just seen was not natural but supernatural. He found himself in the presence of the divine. For the first time he saw Jesus as God and he saw himself as the holiness of deity shined upon him. He saw the great contrast of the purity of Jesus and his own human sinfulness. He felt unworthy to be in his presence. What did Peter see about himself? He saw that his understanding of his fishing vocation that was formed by years of experience was not the

5 final answer to what was possible. We tend to think that our wisdom that is accumulated through our life experience is the final answer to what life is all about. But there is a higher wisdom and a deeper knowledge that is more than anything we can conceive. We only discover it when God invades our life experience and shows us that that he can do what we believe to be impossible. So often we feel as Peter did after a night of fishing when he caught nothing. He was tired and discouraged and weary of trying. This is the point at which Jesus turned his failure into success. Often when we get to the end of ourselves by trying and trying and trying again, the Lord can take our failures and turn them in to success for his glory and for our good. As much as we like to be self-sufficient and even try to be like God sometimes, we are only human. We are all failures at something. We all grow weary of trying and having no results. We are all discouraged at some point in our lives. Then if by God s grace we are privileged to have our epiphany we grow deeper in our understanding of this thing called life. This usually brings about a breakthrough in our spiritual understanding of ourselves and of the Lord. III. HE CAPTURES OUR HEARTS WHEN HE SHOWS US WHAT AND WHO WE CAN BECOME. Jesus looked at Peter kneeling at his feet on the floor of the boat and exclaiming that he was not worthy to be in his presence and said to him, Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men. He wanted Peter to understand that he need not be afraid to stand in the presence of the Messiah for his faith qualified him to enter his presence. And then Jesus said, Come, and follow me. I will make a different kind of man out of you. You will no longer catch fish, but for me you will catch men. And the four fishermen, Peter and Andrew, and James and John all felt this claim upon their lives. It was so strong and forceful that in a sentence the Scripture says, When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. This means that they had

6 an immediate change of vocation. They left their fishing business and became full-time followers of Christ. There are usually three main stages that we go through in our Christian development. First, is the stage when we become believers and Christ is present in our lives. Second, is the stage where we grow and Christ becomes prominent in our lives. Third, is the stage where Christ becomes preeminent in our lives. Peter and the others were about to enter the second stage where Jesus would be prominent in their lives. Jesus had already called them to faith and now he was calling them to be his servants. They would enter the third stage when Jesus would call them to be Apostles. Although the levels of our service to our Lord are different from theirs, he takes us through the very same stages as they experienced. At which of these three stages do you find yourself in on this Sabbath morning? As we make our journey to the cross at this season it is a good time to evaluate where we are in our spiritual pilgrimage. I will ask all of us three questions: Is Jesus present in your life? If so, you are in the first stage. Is Jesus prominent in your life? This means that you walk with him in faith day by day and that you allow him to be Lord of your life. Is Jesus preeminent in your life? This means that you love him deeply and have committed your past, present, and future to glorifying his name in your life and that he is using you to serve him for as long as you live. When he captures your heart- you then really enter into the joys of the Lord! PRAISE BE TO HIS NAME!