Go Fish / Sermon #2 / Why Fish? / July 15, 2012 In journalism, the Five Ws is a concept in news style, research, and in police investigations that are regarded as basics in information-gathering. It is a formula for getting the complete story on a subject. The maxim of the Five Ws is that for a report to be considered complete it must answer a checklist of five questions, each of which comprises an interrogative word: Who? What? When? Where? Why? As a student I remember using those words to help write papers in English and Journalism classes. As I parent I use those words often and I m guessing that they will become even more prevalent in my daily language with my daughter, as she is only 10 days away from being able to drive without one of her parents in the car. Who you going to be with? What are you going to do? When will you be back? Where are you going? Why do you need my money? I don't intend to answer all five of those questions today but there is one that is extremely important as we continue in this series Go Fish, and that is the question of Why Fish? Last week we looked at Jesus' call to the first disciples. Come follow me he said but he didn't just stop at that. I'm sure they would have been ok with him if he would have and I'm sure there are many Christians sitting in churches all around our world today who wish he would have stopped right there. But Jesus didn t. Come follow me was the start. And once they and we decided to follow him he also had something else for us to do and that was to become a fisher of men. So why fish? Hopefully we ll answer that question by looking at a story that happened to two of the first guys that Jesus called to follow him. The story involves Peter and one of his good friends and fishing buddies John. Acts 3 We're going to start at the beginning of the story, then jump to the end of the story, and then finish up in the middle of the story. Did you catch that? And hopefully when we re done we'll have answered the question of Why Fish? Luke begins his story by telling us that Peter and John are heading to the temple to Pray. This was a ritual for the Jewish people that eveiy afternoon they would go to the temple at 3 00 to pray. As they are making their way to the temple so too are some guys carrying this fellow who had been crippled since birth. They
may have been family, they may have been friends, they may have been outcasts like this crippled man. Whatever their relationship this was something that they or others had been doing for a long time because Luke writes that he was put their every day to beg from those who were going to the temple courts to pray. And as Peter and John make their way to the temple, this guy calls out to them. Hey- hoping to get their attention so as to collect a few coins, or whatever they may have to offer. Luke says that Peter and John looked at the man most people try to ignore beggars don't they? We think if we don't make eye contact with them then we won't have to give them anything and it helps us to feel less guilty if we don't connect with them. But Luke says Peter and John looked straight at the man. Then Peter said, Look at us. I had never noticed those words before. I've read this story, sang the little song as a kid that went with the passage but had never noticed those words - Look at us. At first I didn't know why Peter made that statement. Couldn't find any commentary on it either. Even asked our resident theologian and all I got was - that's a good catch. My guess is Peter made the statement to get the man's attention. There were probably hundreds of people entering the temple through that gate. The man had gotten Peter and John s attention and now Peter wanted to make sure he had his, because Peter had something to give this man that was far greater than any amount of money that beggar could hope to receive. Here's whet Peter said; Silver or gold I do not have, but I do have something else for you. To which, I'm sure, the crippled man started thinking - Here we go again. What wonderful words of wisdom am I going to get from this guy? You've got to figure he had probably heard it all from those who passed him day after day. Silver & gold I don't have, but what I do have I want to give you. And then he says, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. I'm sure at first the crippled man shook his head and thought, You've got to be kidding me. I've been this way since birth and you think because you told me to walk that all of a sudden I'm going to be able to do it? And then he began to feel a tingle going up and down his legs. He realized he could wiggle his toes. He flexed his feet back and forth, he bends his knees. And can you imagine that moment when for the first time in his life he stands? Luke says it happened instantly. Instantly he stood up and began to walk. And he walked right into the temple courts with Peter and John. Years he had lain at the temple gate. Maybe he had wanted to go in all those years and couldn't because
he felt like an outcast. Maybe he laid there hoping that someone in their mercy would give him a few coins to be able to feed himself or his buddies. But once this miracle took place he immediately went into the temple walking and jumping and praising God. And as he comes in he does so singing that song, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Rise up and Walk. Everybody turns and looks. And as they do so they begin to realize Hey, that s the guy that s been sitting at the gate for years. That s the crippled man who s been there for years. And Luke says the people were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened. Now Luke doesn t record this. But you ve got to guess the people are starting to ask what happened? What s going on here? How did this man who s been crippled for all these years suddenly become able to walk? And probably in his excitement he starts pointing to Peter and John saying, they did it. They're the ones. They helped me walk. Now you've got this crowd gathering around and Peter probably looks over at John and says Hey Dude - looks like a good time for a sermon. So he steps up on Solomon's Colonnade and begins to preach. Got a crowd - might as well. Right? I m sure with all of the noise and the commotion that has been created that the leaders of the Temple are coming to check out what's going on. It s prayer time and we can t be having this kind of ruckus going on in our temple, they probably said to one another as they approach the group. And as they make their way to the group they see Peter and John, and they probably remember that these are two of the followers of Jesus; the guy who had been crucified only a few weeks ago. And then they hear Peter and he's speaking to the crowd about Jesus. Now it was bad enough that a scene had been made during the time of prayer. That was a major faux pax. And now you've got these guys preaching about Jesus, the dude who had just been crucified, and doing so in the temple, and that was just too much. So they arrest them. Isn't that funny? They've got security guards at the church and if the leaders don't like how you're acting they can throw you in jail. I may bring that idea up at the next elder s meeting. Hire us some sanctuary guards and if you're not singing, off you go. If you re looking around while we're praying, off you go. If you're playing Angry Birds or Bunny Shooter during the sermon, or you're Facebooking or Tweeting and it's not about the worship then you're out of here. So Peter and John were arrested, and because it has gotten later m the day they decide to throw them in prison for the night.
Acts 4:5 So the next day comes and Luke says the rulers, elders and the teachers of the law meet in Jerusalem. Sounds like Peter and John have caused a stink. You've got all these powerful dudes in the room and they bring Peter and John in and they begin to question them. By what power or what name did you do this?" Peter, once again seizing an opportunity to preach a sermon, takes off. But we ll come back to that in just a moment. Because what Peter said in those four verses blew those leaders away. They're ail shook up and don't know what to do with Peter and John so they send them out of the conference room. (4:15) After they send them out, someone poses the question, What are we going to do with these guys? They've just performed an unbelievable miracle; everyone s seen it and we cannot deny it. But we've got to do something to stop this thing from spreading any further. So they decide to warn them not to speak to anyone about this name. Surely one night of jail time will be enough. Acts 4:18 Luke writes: Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. In essence you can believe it, you can live by it, you can raise your family by those standards if you want to, but as far as we are concerned you need to stop talking about it. Sound familiar? Sound like our culture, our society? If you want to live that way, that s ok, but just keep your Jesus to yourself. And Peter and John reply to this command by saying, Judge for yourselves whether it's right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. What s interesting about this reply that Peter and John make is that they are talking to a group of religious men. These guys were believers in God. From the outside looking in that seems hard to comprehend, but they were. These guys were devout followers of God. The same God that Peter and John believe in. They were Jewish men like Peter and John who had great respect for the temple. Believed in the Old Testament prophets. Believed that God had spoken to their ancestors hundreds of years before them. The only difference between these leaders and Peter and John was this man Jesus. And so they said to Peter and John, Look, you have got to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. If you ll just drop the name then everything will be ok and we'll all be able to get along. Ok?
I know I mentioned it a moment ago, but Peter and John say, Look guys - you've got to do what you think God wants you to do and we've got to do what we think God wants us to do. Acts 4 20 Peter says, For we cannot help speaking about what we believe. That's not what Peter and John said did they? Nope. Peter and John couldn't shut up because they had a different belief system this wasn t a discussion over theology. They weren't having a debate of their own individual views of who God is or was or what he was like. Peter and John said, We can t help talking about what we have seen and heard. They had seen some great things. We saw last week how when Jesus had called them to follow him it wasn t because they understood what being a fisher of men was all about - they followed because of what they saw him do in the middle of the day. And now 3 years later they have been witness to many more things they ve seen him heal people, bring dead people back to life, cast out demons and the greatest of all---they saw him alive after he had been beaten, crucified, died and placed in a tomb. During this same time they also heard him speak of love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace. And so Peter and John say, We can't keep quiet about this great thing that has taken place. We've got to talk about what we've seen and heard. And how can we not talk about this great thing that has happened in our lives? Here's why this is so important - Many of us are hesitant to share with others about what we have seen and heard, aren't we? I get that way sometimes. For most of us the issue centers around - What if they ask me a question that I can't answer? What if they bring up something from the Bible and I can't find the answer to it? Our problem is in our thinking, because we think that talking about Jesus is like doing a class on comparative religions. We fear that talking about Jesus is going to get us into a debate about our beliefs compared to someone else's beliefs, when in reality, sharing about Christ and being a fisher of men isn't about having all the wisdom and knowledge so you can beat down the skeptics or the naysayers. That wasn't what Peter and John tried to convey in this passage. Their point and our point is the same Christians believe that something happened - that something happened in history that was so big that it has become the focal point of human history. We can't explain it - we can't provide all the answers to it - sometimes we don't understand it ourselves, but something happened. And Peter and John say look we've got to talk about it because we saw it with our own eyes and we heard it with our own ears. So what was it that they saw? What was it that they heard? What did they see that was so big that it would cause them to be willing to die for it? What did they hear that was so amazing that they were willing to walk away from what they had
been taught as children and teenagers in the synagogue? What was so important to them that it would cause them to say, Even if you put me in prison, even if you beat me, even if you take my life, I'm still going to have to speak about what I saw and heard? What in the world was it? Let s go back to the middle of the story. Peter and John have been arrested - thrown in prison because it was evening time - the leaders didn't want to fool with them that evening, so they decided to wait until the next morning. Which ends up being a big mistake, because that just gave Peter more time to get himself ready. Acts 4:5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. The big guys are meeting, trying to figure out what they are going to do with these guys. Look who Luke records as being a part of this meeting; Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the High Priests family. Whoa! This is big time These are some powerful dudes. This is like walking into a room with the Shark Tank people. You watch that show? This was power. This was prestige. Annas - High Priest - As close to God as you can get as far as the Jewish people were concerned. Caiaphas - had been a High Priest for 18 years and was also the Son in law of Annas. John - there's not much said about John, but when those around heard John was there -they were like, Holy cow! John's there? Alexander - Herbert Lockyer says he was a leading man in Jerusalem. And add to that all the other men of the High Priests Family. This was big Acts 4:7 Then they had Peter and John brought before them and they began to question them. Remember, there's the dude running around the temple who s never walked before. Been lying there every day for years begging people for a coin or some spare change to benefit himself and his friends. Here's the question they ask: By what power or what name did you do this? The religious leaders acknowledge that something has happened. They realize that something unbelievable has taken place and they want to know how this thing happened. Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people: if we are being called to account today for an act of kindness, (Peter throws a bit of a jab at them here for getting to spend the night in jail after helping
out a lame guy). If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. (I told you these guys would be sorry for leaving them in prison all night long didn't I?) So Peter says, You want a name? Well have I got one for you. We're calling on the name and power of the person Jesus Christ and not just any Jesus Christ; it's Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Remember Him? Now the scripture doesn't reflect it but my guess is that when Peter mentioned the name Jesus Christ of Nazareth that a cold chill ran down the spine of at least 3 or 4 of the guys in that meeting room that morning because they knew that name. They recognized that name. They remembered not only that name but that person Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I know we re taught not to point our fingers at people but I can t help but think as Peter made that statement that he was pointing his finger at these guys You, Annas. You Caiaphas - remember him? It is by the name of Jesus Chnst of Nazareth whom you crucified! These guys were there. They were at the trial. They were the ones who incited the crowd to turn against Jesus. They were the ones who begged Pilate to have him beaten and crucified. They knew who Jesus the Christ of Nazareth was because they had interacted with him. And Peter and John standing in this room in front of these guys with all their pomp and circumstance, surrounded by guards who at a moments notice could drop them to their knees says, We did this miracle by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified. And I'm guessing that a hush came over the room as Peter made this bold announcement that he finished off by saying, But whom God raised from the dead. You want to know why we can t be quiet? We can t be quiet because this one whom we all knew, this one whom we an saw beaten, this one whom we all saw nailed to a cross, this one whom we all saw die shortly after a spear was pierced in his side, this one whom we ail saw laid in a tomb, that you - and I can't help but think Peter pointed his finger at them again - decided to guard that tomb with soldiers. Well guess what guys - God who allowed you to crucify him has raised him from the dead. That's right he brought him back to life. And we've seen him. And we're not the only ones. Hundreds of others have seen him as well. And that's why we can't be quiet - because something happened - because of an event that took place just a few weeks ago. And we can't be quiet because we've been called to be fishers of men and we have to fish.
But Peter doesn't stop there. I know I've already mentioned this, but I'm telling you these religious leaders made a mistake by giving Peter and John a night in jail to work on their story! Have you ever had the chance to sleep on something? Someone ever given you some extra time to build up your courage? Look at what Peter continues with. You crucified him, but God raised him from the dead, and that is the reason this man stands before you today healed. And then Peter adds: (Vs.11) He is - He s talking about Jesus Christ of Nazareth here - He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. To us it s a powerful verse, but not nearly as powerful as it was to those who heard Peter speak it. This would have been a verse they had committed to memory. This would have been a verse they learned because it spoke of the messianic prophecies that their forefather David had written. Peter was quoting from Psalm 118:22. It might not have been marked in their Bibles as Psalm 118:22, but they knew the verse. They knew the context. And I think at that moment in time there jaws dropped. For at that moment they realized they were the ones who had rejected the stone. They realized that all of those years that they had sat around wondering, discussing, pondering who could do such an ignorant thing as reject Yahweh's chosen one, and it was them. This one whom they betrayed, whom they crucified, whom they spat upon had become the capstone, or the cornerstone upon which Yahweh, Jehovah, God was about to build everything. And because we have seen it, because we have heard it, we can't keep quiet about it. Psalm 118:23-24 says, The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. What Peter and John had seen, witnessed, experienced was marvelous to them. They knew the Lord had done something great and they couldn't help but rejoice, celebrate, and share what they had experienced. But Peter's not slowing down. You ever been around one of those preachers who every time you think he's about to stop fires' right back up? That's what these guys have gotten a hold of today. Acts 4:12 Salvation is, present tense - right now - not someday soon, not just around the comer, salvation is found in no one else - now this would have been some new information for these guys - what do you mean no one else?
For these guys, salvation was never found in some one, it was always found in some thing. Like how well you do. How much of the law you keep. Going to the temple everyday to pray. Touching your door posts as you enter the rooms of your house. Reciting the Shema. It s about sacrifice and killing animals and tithing the proper amount. It's about doing everything you can to stay on God's good side. It's about keeping the law - following the 10 commandments. What do you mean no one else? Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given. In the Greek, (surely you didn't think you'd be able to go four weeks without a little Greek did you? I didn't like it that much when I was in school either but it does come in handy every now and then. I'm just thankful for the guy who wrote the Greek/English bible. You hand me Greek only and I'm up a creek without a paddle.) In the Greek, it's the perfect tense, which means it was given once and for all and will not be repeated. Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. There's the capstone. There's the cornerstone. No longer is it about rules, and laws, and doctrines. Some may think it's not fair, some may think it's too narrow and some may want to argue, but all I can tell you is this there is no other name that has ever been given whereby men can find salvation, forgiveness, mercy and grace. And because we spent time with him, because we saw him do miraculous things, because we saw him crucified, because we saw him alive after being dead for three days, we've got to talk about it. And not just because we believe it, but because we saw him and we heard him, and because of that we're compelled to fish. Acts 4:13 Look at the response of the religious leaders that Luke records. When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Isn't that powerful? The religious leaders finally begin to realize that these guys - untrained, uneducated, simple men - had seen and heard something that was so powerful, so moving, so life-changing, that maybe there was something to it. So why do we have to fish? We have to fish because the message of salvation is not an intuitive message. We have to fish because the message of forgiveness is not a message that you can go sit under a tree and come to all on your own.
If a person sits under a tree without having heard the message and tries to explore the mysteries of God and uses their IQ and intellect to get there, they'll get part of the way. They may figure out that there is a God. They might come to the conclusion that there is a good God. They might even arrive at the conclusion that there's good and evil in the world. They might come to understand that there is life after death with some sort of eternity, because something in their heart longs for something else. They may get part of the way on their own but the message of salvation is not intuitive. That is, people will never know it or figure it out unless somebody tells them. Left to their own devices, many will arrive at the conclusion that every other religion has arrived at - that there is a God and that he's a good God who is surrounded by good people and somehow good people connect with a good God. And you can try to be good according to the Old Testament law - according to the Koran - according to the book of Mormon - according to science or crystals or transcendental meditation - or whatever you prefer. But there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. It is a unique claim. And there's only one that's ever made that claim to be that person. And you can't arrive at that conclusion unless somebody comes to you and tells you that 2000 years ago God sent his son into this world and he touched down on planet Earth and he was crucified for your sins and he rose from the dead and he sits at the right hand of the Father, and the good news is this - good people don't go to heaven. Forgiven people go to heaven. And there's no other name by which you receive forgiveness except the name of Jesus Christ the unique son of God. We have to fish because the message of salvation is grounded in history and people don't know history unless somebody talks about it and tells you about it. And so we have to fish. It's not because people can't find God without us, but they'll never know the message of salvation unless somebody tells them. We don't fish because we have a superior morality-or all the answers to all the world s questions or a superior doctrine. We fish because we believe 2000 years ago a man came to this Earth sent by God - to be the salvation of all the men and women who would receive him as their Savior and their Lord. And that's why we talk about it. There's something within every heart that stirs when this incredible message intersects with the human heart. There's a dynamic that no one can really explain except that God has called every heart and every soul to him and that connection happens through this incredible message of forgiveness that only comes through His Son, Jesus the Christ of Nazareth. We have to fish because we have something of the greatest value to give to those who intersect with our lives, even if it's only for a few moments. Look at us,
Peter said as he drew the crippled man's attention away from all of those who were entering the temple, from whom he hoped to get a coin or two. Look at us, he said, because he had something of the greatest value to give to that crippled man. I chose this series, not as an evangelistic series to draw people to Jesus Christ, but more as an encouragement to those of us who are Christians to be reminded that there is more to Christianity than just being a follower. Jesus Christ didn t call us to be followers. He didn't call us to just follow along behind him and hide in His shadow. He called us to be followers who would fish. People who would be willing to share with those with whom we come in contact, about what we have seen - what we have heard, and what we ve experienced. Because every day we run into, we pass by, we see crippled people who are begging and pleading, and we have something of the greatest value to give to them. And if you're here today and you're not a Christian, I'd be crazy to say what I've said this morning and not give you the opportunity to experience it for yourself. For we believe that Salvation is found in no one else but Jesus Christ. He's the only way to receive eternal life, and that begins by acknowledging him as your Lord, being obedient to Him and being baptized, and then allowing him to make you into a fisher of men so that you can share what he has done in your life with those with whom you come in contact.