{"id":891,"date":"2022-02-12T16:08:26","date_gmt":"2022-02-13T00:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/?p=891"},"modified":"2022-02-12T16:08:26","modified_gmt":"2022-02-13T00:08:26","slug":"messengers-uncovered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/?p=891","title":{"rendered":"Messengers Uncovered"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Luke 5:1-11)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Super Bowl is next Sunday. To make it to that level, your team has to have a pretty solid quarterback. It would be pretty big news then, if one of the teams\u2019 starting QBs was not going to be playing. It would be even bigger news if none of the backups were going to be replacing him because the coach made a last-minute decision to someone else in that position: the janitor. Not only would he not know how to pull off the plays; he likely wouldn\u2019t even know how to put on the pads! It\u2019s not just another football player in a different position, but someone totally lacking any of the skills necessary to even fake it. Let\u2019s just say that running a sweep would take on a whole new meaning with a janitor taking the snaps!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it any less absurd that Jesus chose who he did to be his messengers? He didn\u2019t hit up the religious experts. He didn\u2019t tap the experienced public speakers. In fact, if you want to search for what was likely the bottom of the barrel when it came to necessary communication skills, you might just find fishermen about as low as you can go. They didn\u2019t need people skills – they were out on boats half the time fetching fish, not striking up a conversation with locals. But fishermen were exactly the ones Jesus called to spread the word! Yet if you find that <\/em>shocking, try this on for size: it\u2019s not just fishermen he called his messengers; it\u2019s also you and me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was definitely something different about the crowds this time around in our verses from Luke. Two weeks ago the crowds rejected the message (Lk. 4). Last week they wanted more of Jesus – not necessarily because of the message, but because of the miracles. Today we finally see it: the people are \u201ccrowding around him and listening to the word of God\u201d (v.1). <\/em><\/strong>Let\u2019s start there. People were listening to the word of God! Good things happen when we listen to the word of God. Actually, maybe that needs clarification, as have a tendency to interpret the word \u201cgood\u201d according to our own definition of good. Maybe we should say it a little bit differently: \u201cGod\u201d things happen when we listen to the word of God. Simon Peter would find that out.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon was patient. Fishing was not easy work and he had just been up all night busting his tail for nothing. Now he\u2019s cleaning everything up at the end of his shift, and along comes Jesus to tell him how to do his job. Peter must have been physically drained from a night of hard work. He undoubtedly was emotionally drained by the frustration of coming up empty-handed. That makes his response to Jesus all the more remarkable. \u201cSimon answered, \u2018Master,\u00a0we\u2019ve worked hard all night and haven\u2019t caught anything.\u00a0But because you say so, I will let down the nets\u2019\u201d (v.5)<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause you say so\u2026\u201d How different would our lives be if that was the only change we made? How blessed would we be if we let those words guide our lives more? Trust the Lord your God\u2026 give generously\u2026 love your enemies\u2026 forgive one another\u2026 pray for your president and leaders\u2026 stay married, etc., and all \u201cbecause [Jesus] says so.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course we would <\/em>let Jesus\u2019 \u201cbecause I said so\u201d guide our lives; it\u2019s just that we happen to know better than he does. Now that may come across as a little extreme for me to state it that way, but isn\u2019t that really the simplest conclusion we can draw? When a parent tells a child to do this or that and the child doesn\u2019t (isn\u2019t the child\u2019s least favorite explanation \u201cbecause I said so\u201d???), or when the superior directs an employee to take care of something and he doesn\u2019t, what does that say if not, \u201cI know better than you do, so I am not going to bother doing what you told me to do?\u201d So when we ignore the many exhortations in Scripture to do this or that, what are we saying to God but that we know better than he does? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When this is our natural rebellious attitude, should it surprise us that we excel at ignoring Jesus\u2019 commands \u201cjust because he said so?\u201d Today though, our verses key us in on one specific area that Jesus tells us so: \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people\u201d (v.10)<\/em><\/strong>. We are pretty good at dismissing Jesus\u2019 double directive there, aren\u2019t we? Not only do we know better than he does, resulting in our contentment to leave the fishing up to other people, but we also fail to take to heart his initial words, \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid.\u201d In fact, that is probably the most common excuse given for not fishing for men – we\u2019re too afraid. While we use it to justify our aversion to evangelism, what we really end up doing when we extend such an excuse is incriminating ourselves! Not only are we ignoring the second part, but we\u2019re also failing to live out the first! We let fear cripple us when Jesus says not to!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How quickly we forget what Jesus is able to do, as he had just demonstrated to Peter. \u201cWhen he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, \u2018Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.\u2019 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break\u201d (vv.4, 6)<\/em><\/strong>. No fish all night, then one net cast and the boats almost sink because of such a large haul of fish! Look what Jesus is able to do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you really doubt that he can haul in as big a catch of people if you get over yourself and your fear? Do you really doubt that the One who just humbled a bunch of experienced fisherman with as big a catch as they probably had ever had could also do the same through you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine that you were required to fill out an application to be one of God\u2019s messengers. On that application, there were two sections, one for listing all of the qualifications that makes you ideal for serving as one of God\u2019s messengers, and another section that listed shortcomings that would not provide evidence for why you would not make a good messenger. On which of those two sections do you think most of us would have more to write? Based on what I have heard most from others, not too many would be listing much of anything in the \u201cqualification\u201d section, but just about everyone would probably need more space for the \u201cshortcomings\u201d section. You\u2019d include things like \u201cI don\u2019t know the Bible well enough,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m not a strong enough Christian,\u201d \u201cI am not good with words,\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t have any non-Christian friends,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m too afraid,\u201d etc. For those really willing to be honest, we might also include, \u201cI am too busy\u201d or \u201cI just don\u2019t care that much\u201d to the list. Now those things may or may not be true, but in the end, it doesn\u2019t really matter because any application you would fill out and turn in to Jesus, he would return it back to you stamped in large letters with the word, \u201cQUALIFIED.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Because the ability to be Jesus\u2019 messengers is not based on your ability to be Jesus\u2019 messengers; rather, it is based entirely on the fact that he is the One who sends you to be his messengers. And the One who sends you doubles as the One who saved you. Remember the whole cross thing, the very foundation of the message he is sending you to communicate? Don\u2019t forget that that cross is just as much for you as it is for anyone else. Don\u2019t forget that you need that cross just as much as anyone else. That cross was necessary to cancel out every instance in which your actions revealed your rebellious \u201cI know best\u201d directed at God. That cross was necessary to cancel out the prideful control you insist on having in your life instead of the humble submission God calls you to. That cross was necessary to qualify you to be God\u2019s messenger. And it has, for at the cross God\u2019s righteous justice and his undeserved mercy collide and we are the beneficiaries. Jesus paid the price of our rebellion and arrogance against God, and only because of that grace and forgiveness are we qualified to be his messengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the Lord chose us to be his messengers on the basis of our<\/em> qualifications, he\u2019d have a total of zero messengers. Go back to Simon. Remember how much success he had fishing all night? Zero. So why would Jesus send a fisherman who caught zero fish for something as important as fishing for people. It wasn\u2019t because of Simons\u2019s success, but because of the Savior\u2019s sending. Jesus qualified him. Jesus sent him. And follow Peter\u2019s ministry in the book of Acts after Jesus\u2019 resurrection – Jesus gave him success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What stood out in Peter\u2019s case was not his expertise, but his obedience. Wasn\u2019t Jesus illustrating something extremely powerful – and confidence-boosting – in this account? He was foreshadowing that Peter\u2019s success on the lake that day had absolutely nothing to do with his own ability or qualifications and everything to do with the simple fact that he did what Jesus told him to do. That is exactly how God grants success to his messengers – not because we are superb evangelists, but because we have a superb Savior who can bless our obedience a thousand times over and far more than we could ever expect or imagine! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t hold your breath waiting for either team next on Super Bowl Sunday to start a janitor as their quarterback. But as crazy as something like that sounds, God has actually determined to do something far crazier – he chose you and me to be his messengers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will you go? Will you go for no other reason than that the Lord says to each one of us, \u201cbecause I said so?\u201d Will you give him some effort to bless? Will you throw your nets out again and again, even after one unsuccessful try after another, just because he said so? Will you give him nothing but your faith-filled obedience? Will you be his messenger?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ability to be Jesus\u2019 messengers is not based on your ability to be Jesus\u2019 messengers; rather, it is based entirely on the fact that he is the One who sends you to be his messengers.… Continue reading Messengers Uncovered<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[194,65],"tags":[42,5,109,36,108,195],"class_list":["post-891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncovered-series","category-sermons","tag-evangelism","tag-jesus","tag-preaching","tag-sermon","tag-teaching","tag-uncovered"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p842FN-en","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=891"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":892,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891\/revisions\/892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}