September 7

Transcript

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.)

She was seeing it with us in heaven today. I know so. I always get a little choked up when we sing this song.

Last song I think she sang before she went home to be with the Lord. Yeah, we get a little choked up, but we're okay because we know when we say goodbye to this world, there's far more to this world than living and dying. We're going to be without Lord Jesus Christ forever.

That's his promise. That was his promise that we remembered yesterday, John, Nora, when we said goodbye to Sandra. We're going to miss her, but she doesn't want to change and come back this way.

She's in a way. I hope that Lulu Chick does not, sorry, I'm not the way to say that word, that Lulu Girl never comes back. Boy, she's a naughty thing.

But she also drew attention to that number that's on there. So the challenge was 2,500, and I said that's not enough. We could do 3,000.

I should have said 3,500 because that means that somewhere I will have to colour my hair green and I'll have to be up here with green hair and preach like that for the whole world to see because now we live stream too. Boy, the things we say and we get ourselves in. Henry, are you sure it wasn't 35 that I said? Oh boy.

We'll plan the date. We have a visitation coming up from Presbyterian. You better all be here for that day and the rest of those that are today.

I don't know where they are. Last weekend we're going away on the 28th of September. Maybe that's a perfect day to just show them a little something about who Central is.

You don't put us in a box. We don't fit in a box. We're just Central, right? Yeah, yeah.

So we'll see, Denise. We'll plan it, but I think that white So thank you, Brayden, again. We'll say thank you.

There's a specific Sunday that we'll say thank you to Brayden for his work. The two women that you saw, one of them you saw. The other one was somewhere else.

The two ladies that are going to work and help us until Jocelyn comes back from Elsie and Elrie. That's my wife and my daughter, for those who don't know that. They're going to be helping us out, and we thank God for that.

Thank you to the Lord for providing Brayden over the summer when he can. Now he said, sorry, I have to go back because there's this little thing of being accepted to do a master's, and I have to go do that. So Brayden, God bless you for that, and yeah.

But then God provides, and I always say that if we trust him, if we allow the Lord to do his work, then he will provide, because it's not my congregation. Lulu got that wrong calling me the boss man. It's not mine.

It's not yours. It's the Lord's. We're just gifted to be part of this, and then God provides.

When we are faithful, God is more than faithful, and we thank him for that. I'm excited about what the year holds for us and all the things that are going to happen. Father God, thank you for our times together.

Thank you for this amazing word that you give. Lord, we read it over and over. I preach it over and over, and I look at the same passage, and I can preach it a hundred times, and every time you give something new.

Thank you for those moments of sitting down and saying, Lord, I don't know what to do. Just being quiet, and then you are the one who gives the gifts and takes the pen and helps write the words. So in this morning, as those words need to go out to your people, will you help your servant to remember what he gave? But then, Lord, will you take these words and translate them for each one of us so that it becomes that which we need? For that is the gift of your Holy Spirit.

We want to see Jesus. You know that look, right? The look that says, it's too late. The look that says, I don't think I can do this again.

You have this friend, she's a day away from a divorce, and you take her out for coffee. You sit down, and you talk, and you say, don't you think there's a chance? It's too late. Your dad and your brother haven't spoken for who knows how long.

And you try and mediate, and you go visit with dad, and you talk, and dad looks at you, and dad says, it's too late. It's too late for the marriage. It's too late for the relationship.

It's too late to go fishing. No, I haven't lost my mind. That's what Peter said to Jesus.

They were out the night, Peter and his friends, catching fish. They didn't catch a single thing, and now they're on the beach. The other fishermen are cleaning their fish.

All they can do is clean empty nets, and then Jesus arrives on the scene. He says, why don't we give it another go? Let me go through the story with you. Luke 5, verse 1. One day, and I've preached this text for a million times, but something new every time.

One day, as Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and I've said that one, too. Remember, that's the Sea of Galilee. They just call that Lake of Gennesaret because it's from the Hebrew.

Yam kineret. Yam means sea, and kineret means a harp. Because if you look at the Sea of Galilee from the top, it looks exactly like a harp.

So the Lake of Gennesaret, same place as the Sea of Galilee, Sea of the Harp. One day, as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the Word of God. He saw at the water's edge two boats left there by the fishermen who were washing their nets.

He got onto one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. Now when he'd finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out into the deep water and let down the nets for catch.

So here's the scene. Sea of Galilee. Jesus needs a boat.

Peter is happy to provide the boat. Jesus speaks a sermon. Peter is happy to listen to the sermon.

However, when Jesus suggests to go for a mid-morning fishing trip, Peter gives him the look. Verse 5. Simon answered, Master, we've worked hard all night and we haven't caught anything. There's the look.

It's too late. Now we turn the clock back just a little bit. Just a few hours before this, Peter and his friends were out on the same boat on the lake in the middle of this dark sea of Galilee.

And there they're doing what they do. They're fishing. And all you hear in the quiet of the lake, you'll hear them pick up the nets.

And then they throw them out. Swish. Splash.

Go back. You're empty. Swish.

Splash. And the clock ticks. Splash.

Splash. Splash. Splash.

Splash. Splash. Splash.

Splash. Splash. Splash.

Splash. The arms hurting and the backs are hurting. Splash.

Splash. Splash. Splash.

Splash. Splash. Ow.

Ow. For you though, it's day after day. Doctor's appointment after doctor.

Counsellor after counsellor, one test after another test, struggle after struggle, week after week, and you stand out there and you are fishing. And the arms hurt, and the back hurts, and it's all day, and it's all week, and it's all months, and it's all year, and sometimes it feels like it's all my life. The marriage is still struggling, the relationship is still broken, the depression just doesn't want to go, there's just no solution, we do all these tests, it's like, this is it, I'm done, I can't do it anymore, it's too late, that's where Peter was, he did everything right, he did his fishing work, he did everything how you should do it, and nothing.

So you just think, we've all sat where Peter sat, we've all felt what Peter felt, and then Jesus shows up, and he says, let's go fish again. Oh, the thoughts that must have ran through Peter's mind, he didn't say them. Then he was just thinking, oh man, do you get it? I'm tired, I just want to go home, have a meal, wash myself, go to bed, I have to sleep, I have to come do this over again tomorrow, I don't want to lose the carpenter, to lose the fisherman, and I'm really embarrassed, look at all these people, they know you don't fish in the day, but whatever the thoughts were, he doesn't say them, but they all come down into one little phrase, Master, we have worked hard all night, and we haven't caught any, you've been there, and I've been there, but here's the thing, Jesus knows that, he knows about that heavy heart that just feels, I can't do that anymore, it's broken, it's overwhelmed, he knows about those arms that just feel, I can't pick up another net and try again, he knows about that back that feels, it's broken because of all of the heavy burden that I have to carry, he knows that we're so close to one night away from calling it quits, and Jesus says, let's do it, it's not too late, whatever it might be, it's not too late, before you give your answer, maybe Peter's answer to this will change or formulate your own answer, Master, says Peter, we've worked hard all night, we haven't caught anything, but because you say so, I will let go, there's that but, right? When he says that, I don't hear the excitement or the enthusiasm in his voice, it's not like he's saying, high five Jesus, let's go do this, hey mama, get that kitchen ready, we're coming back, we're gonna have a boatload of fish, let's get out there, Jesus is in the boat.

This is not the Peter we'll find right there at Pentecost that's full of the Spirit and people here and their lives are changed, this is just that, okay? And maybe, just maybe this story is in the Bible, because it's the story about me and you, maybe it's the stories in the Bible to remind you, me, us, in that daily walk with that splash, splash, silence, that this story in the Bible to remind us that Jesus doesn't always expect us to be on fire, doesn't always expect us, he knows we can always be ready and right and up for the challenge, all Jesus asks is a small, tiny, little mustard seed of faith and obedience, because you say so. Let's ask another question, I want to take you back to verse four, and don't worry Joe, you don't have to put verse four on there, I'm just going to use one word there, let's take us back to verse four, where Jesus says to them, let's go out to the deep waters and go fish. Why did he say that? There's no fish in the deep water at that time of the day.

Could it be that Jesus knew something that they didn't know, that we didn't know? It kind of reminds me of Easter, when we hide the Easter egg, and the kids are out there, and they're getting the Easter eggs, and then they come back with the baskets and say, we got them all. I didn't. And then you give them little hints, where did you find them? How do you know where those Easter eggs are? Because you put them there.

Why would Jesus think that there would be fish in that deep, dark water in the middle of the day? Because he put them there. We think, I can't do this anymore. We think it's too much.

We think it's too late. I'm done. Here's the thing.

He's the one who's in control of all of our lives, of everything. He's made you beautiful and wonderful. He says you are precious to me.

He says you are honoured. He says I love you. Who knows what he's put in that deep, and all he asks is a little bit of faith.

Trust me. Peter says, because he said so. Not going to be excited.

Not going to be enthusiastic. I'll just throw out the net. So, because you say so, take the nets and throw them out.

Wait for it. Wait for it. And when they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began.

So they signalled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. And all of a sudden, here they stand, the carpenter and the fisherman leading to the fish.

Peter's got his nose in the fish. And in that moment where he gets a moment to look up for the first time, he sees Jesus. Not Jesus the carpenter.

Not Jesus as he called him in verse five, the captain of the boat. Jesus, the Lord. And there's this moment.

The next thing, he's face first in the fish. And it's not the stink of the fish that bothers him. It's his own stink that bothers him.

Verse eight. Eyes are not working well this morning. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and he said, go away from me, Lord.

I'm a sinner. He's not asking a favour. He's asking forgiveness.

He's not trying to hide any of the other stuff. He's not behind his own bravado anymore. He's just like, Lord, all of a sudden, in the stink of the fish, I see my own stink.

And I realise who I am. And I did not listen. Just go away.

But here's the one request that Jesus is not going to go. Because he is the God of the bodyguards. Go away.

No. He gives us a second chance. All he asks is, come out the next.

But I've done that. It's not too late. But it's not too late.

Go away. Never leave me or forsake me. And that's exactly what he does for this guy.

Well, Peter says, go away. Jesus is not going to go away. But verse 10, Jesus said to him, don't be afraid.

Because from now on, you will fish for people. See, my friends, it's never too late for people. He's known to get into empty boats, into empty lives, into broken lives.

All he wants is for us to invite him into that life. And I invite you this morning to invite him in. And when he's in that boat, and he says, go to the deep, and you want to say, ah, little, let me go.

Because you say, go have fun fishing. Amen. Take a few moments of silence.

Thank you, Jesus, that even when we give you the look, you don't turn and go away. You ask us to invite you into our boats. And then you surprise us.

And you take us to those deep waters where we've never been. And we immediately fish. What an amazing God you are.

Maybe, Lord, I don't know, there's someone in this place today who for the first time needs to say, can you get in my boat? Or maybe for the first time in a long time has to say, will you get into my boat? Thank you that you do that. Thank you that when we invite you, you get in. Thank you for blessing us with the abundance of your love, your grace, and your faith.

In Jesus' name we pray.