Mars Hill Fellowship

MESSAGE |

Nevertheless

SERIES |

Just Do It

SCRIPTURE |

Luke 5:1-11

SPEAKER |

Pastor Joseph Ardayfio

KEY THEME |

For us to thrive in Christ, we have to put the Word of God into practice, but fear from past experiences can cause us to hold back. Believers have to acknowledge what has happened to them in the past and move forward by accepting the trustworthiness of God instructions. 

I. In a world of broken promises, we can be assured that God never breaks his promises.  Throughout the scriptures God reminds us of this truth: “[God’s word] will not return to [him] empty, but will accomplish what [He] desire and achieve the purpose for which [He] sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)

II. For many of us, the scars of our past affect our ability to thrive in the future. In the midst of challenging situations, we have to remember that God is still at work and His promises will come through. No matter what may be going on, we have to say ‘Nevertheless’, we will obey.

1. We have to wrestle against the disappointments of our past and be willing to trust God again. Many great men and women of the Bible had to wrestle with the disappointments of their own past including: Joseph, Abraham, and David.
    
2. When we obey God and the results don’t come out as we would have liked, it doesn’t mean that God has abandoned us.

III. If we are going to be doers of the word and put God’s Word into practice, it requires three things: submission, humility, obedience.

IV. 1 - Putting God’s Word into practice requires SUBMISSION (Luke 5:2-3)

1. Jesus interrupted Simon Peter at one of his lowest moments and asked him to make a sacrifice. The fisherman had worked all night and didn’t catch anything.
    
2. Submission requires us to be willing to allow our plans to be interrupted by God. (even when the interruption is painful, embarrassing, etc.)

V. 2 -  Putting God’s Word into practice requires HUMILITY (Luke 5:4-5)

1. It was a well-known fact that fish were caught in the Sea of Galilee at night and in the shallow water, not in the daytime or in the deep water. Jesus asked Peter to do what was contrary to all of his training and experience.
    
2. If we think that we are smarter than God, we will be unwilling to listen to His instructions despite the fact that He knows more than us. In humility, we appreciate the wisdom of God’s instructions.

VI. 3 - Putting God’s Word into practice requires COMPLETE OBEDIENCE (Luke 5:6-11)

1. God was not looking for partial obedience, but complete obedience from Simon Peter. We cannot stop obeying God because WE FEEL like we have done enough.
    
2. For believers, we inevitably will experiences circumstances in which we have worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. We may have used all of our energy, ingenuity, talent, and resources and still find ourselves far from our goal. It is at these points that we cannot give up.
    
3. Simon Peter perceived that God’s instructions were meant to get more fish. In reality, God was using Peter’s obedience to teach him something greater, how to be a fisher of men. 

Scripture Index:

James 1:22-24
Luke 5:1-11
Isaiah 55:10-11
Matthew 24:35
Numbers 23:19