The Illusion of Control: Why Your Invitation Isn’t Enough

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Let's pray together.
[00:00:02] Lord, as we have just sung, now we pray.
[00:00:05] You are worthy of it all.
[00:00:07] We know when we get to heaven, we're gonna glorify you, but that's also our purpose here on earth.
[00:00:13] And one of the ways we can glorify you is by sharing the gospel.
[00:00:19] And as we look at this amazing story,
[00:00:21] Today together about what happened when you boarded Simon Peter's little fishing boat and the changes that took place as a result.
[00:00:31] We're inviting you, Lord, to board our boat, so to speak, to be Lord of all of our lives and guide us and direct us so we can go fishing for men as you tell us to in Scripture.
[00:00:44] We commit this time of Bible study to you now.
[00:00:47] In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
[00:00:50] You can all be seated.
[00:00:51] Good afternoon, everybody.
[00:00:53] Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday, a day where we remember the unborn, and I'm reminded of that passage in Psalm 71.6, where the psalmist says, Yes, you have been with me from birth.
[00:01:09] From my mother's womb, you have cared for me.
[00:01:12] No wonder I'm always praising you.
[00:01:16] As I've told you before, I was conceived out of wedlock,
[00:01:20] And I'm so glad that my mother gave me the ability to live my life and to make my own choices and I made the most important choice a person can make at the age of 17 when I put my faith in Jesus Christ.
[00:01:34] So I guess in a sense I am pro-choice.
[00:01:37] Pro-choice for the baby.
[00:01:39] Pro-choice for the unborn child.
[00:01:41] That they can make their own decisions in life.
[00:01:48] Not to have their life taken from them.
[00:01:50] Every child has a right to live regardless of the circumstances of their conception.
[00:01:57] So today I happily and unapologetically stand for the life of the unborn child.
[00:02:05] I think this is a very important thing.
[00:02:10] I stand for children who can't speak for themselves.
[00:02:14] I stand for the mothers praying that they will choose life and discover as my mom did that God's grace is sufficient for every circumstance.
[00:02:22] I tell you I stand here as living proof that God can take any beginning and write a beautiful story from it.
[00:02:29] So we want to just let people know this is important to us.
[00:02:33] And by the way, when it comes time for me to vote for a candidate, that's one of the first things I check.
[00:02:39] Are you pro-life?
[00:02:40] Because I believe in this.
[00:02:45] So we've got a lot going on this week at Harvest.
[00:02:48] This coming Wednesday we have an event coming to Harvest Riverside that's called Make Heaven Crowded and it's sponsored by Turning Point Faith which is the organization started by Charlie Kirk and now it is directed by his wife Erica Kirk and I think that Erica
[00:03:08] is an amazing woman who has experienced unspeakable loss and has gone on to honor the legacy of her husband
[00:03:17] and to do something that was always important to Charlie.
[00:03:20] It was a phrase he often used, let's make heaven crowded.
[00:03:24] So they're having a tour in different churches and it's kicking off at Harvest and then it will go to San Diego and other places around the country.
[00:03:34] So Erica will be at the event speaking as well.
[00:03:37] Lucas Miles, he's a powerful preacher who directs TP Faith.
[00:03:42] Also Bryce Crawford,
[00:03:44] Bryce is a young man I actually met back in Arizona.
[00:03:47] He's a fearless street evangelist with three million Instagram followers and he shares Jesus on college campuses and streets everywhere and he'll fire you up to want to share your faith.
[00:04:00] Also, Girls Gone Bible, one of the top, I know, it's a, I didn't name it, but I'll tell you what.
[00:04:09] These girls are doing a great thing because what I like about what they're doing is they're reaching millions of young women through their podcast, encouraging them to live godly and biblical lives.
[00:04:23] And so they'll be here as well.
[00:04:24] And I'll also be speaking.
[00:04:26] So this is a really good event for young people, actually.
[00:04:30] So you who are young, you wanna be here at this.
[00:04:33] And you don't have to be young.
[00:04:35] If you think you're young, I guess you can come as well.
[00:04:37] But I'm one of those people.
[00:04:39] You know, but seriously, everyone's invited but you younger kids.
[00:04:44] I think you're really gonna love this.
[00:04:46] And also, okay, so that's Wednesday at Harvest Riverside.
[00:04:50] You can come to Harvest Riverside.
[00:04:52] You guys at Harvest Orange County, did you know there's a Harvest Riverside?
[00:04:56] Yeah, you can come on up and join us, but we'll also have a live video stream of it down here to Harvest Orange County.
[00:05:03] So this coming Friday, we're gonna show, give an exclusive showing of the new film, I Can Only Imagine 2.
[00:05:12] That's going to come to theaters in February, but you're going to see it before anybody else sees it.
[00:05:18] And one of the stars of the film, Dennis Quaid, is going to be with us in person here at Harvest Orange County.
[00:05:25] And I'll be interviewing him along with Andy Irwin, the director of the film.
[00:05:30] And so if you don't know yet about this film, here's a trailer.
[00:05:33] Check it out.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
You got your dream.

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
I can only imagine by Mercy Me one of the most beloved songs of all time.

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
You inspired millions of people.
[00:05:48] What do you think is going to happen?
[00:05:51] Are you just going to ride off into the sunset?
[00:05:55] No more struggles or pain?
[00:05:58] So how about you tell me what's really going on?
[00:06:09] All these years later, it seems we find ourselves at the crossroads.
[00:06:15] The question is, are we still headliner material?
[00:06:23] You got another hit cookin'?

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
This tour is your dream.
[00:06:33] It's our dream.
[00:06:34] I'm Tim.
[00:06:34] I'm Bart Swarmo.
[00:06:35] This is my first tour, you know?
[00:06:36] This is my first tour, too.
[00:06:38] When did Accountant Bart show up?
[00:06:40] I don't know, man.
[00:06:41] About the time I invited my diabetic kid along on this writer's block-inducing make-or-break tour.
[00:06:48] Worried I might break him.

[00:06:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Or he just might fix you.

[00:06:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
I just want to write something that helps people.
[00:06:59] Through the pain we all go through, you will never understand what I'm going through.
[00:07:07] Gratitude.
[00:07:09] Grief.
[00:07:12] Finding a way to hold them both.
[00:07:16] God is in fire.
[00:07:20] And it is beautiful.
[00:07:22] This song needs you.

[00:07:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Sometimes your dreams can rise from the ashes Yeah, I've seen this film.

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
I've seen this film.
[00:07:50] It's a great film.
[00:07:51] You're going to love it.
[00:07:51] You're going to see it before anybody else sees it.
[00:07:54] It'll be at all Harvest campuses.
[00:07:56] Harvest Maui, Harvest Orange County, and Harvest Riverside as well.
[00:08:01] So come be a part of that.
[00:08:02] And speaking of the Irwin brothers, Andy Irwin directed that film.
[00:08:06] His brother John Irwin is here with us today.
[00:08:08] Hello John.
[00:08:09] There he is in the front row.
[00:08:14] John is a good friend of mine.
[00:08:16] He directed Jesus Revolution.
[00:08:19] John also is the man behind the amazing House of David series on Amazon.
[00:08:25] You've all seen it.
[00:08:27] It's just incredible.
[00:08:30] So John and Beth, great to have you here with us this morning, or this afternoon.
[00:08:36] All right, let's turn in our Bibles to Luke chapter five.
[00:08:39] We're in our new series in the Gospel of Luke that we're calling The Gospel for Everyone.
[00:08:45] And the title of this message is When Jesus Gets in Your Boat.
[00:08:51] How many of you are fishermen?
[00:08:53] Raise your hand if you're a fisherman.
[00:08:55] Okay, a few.
[00:08:57] Well, I'm not really a fisherman.
[00:08:59] I've only done it a few times in my life.
[00:09:01] I think I'll use every fishing story I've experienced in this sermon.
[00:09:06] But years ago I was in Alaska at the Kenai River where you can fish for great salmon.
[00:09:11] So I went out with some friends and we had a guide.
[00:09:14] And I didn't know if I would catch anything and so I was such a novice at it and I kept thinking I was getting a bite when I wasn't.
[00:09:22] We started by putting the little salmon eggs on the hook, which I found weird.
[00:09:26] Is that appropriate?
[00:09:27] To fish for salmon with salmon eggs?
[00:09:30] Seems a little cannibalistic to me.
[00:09:32] But anyway, so we're fishing.
[00:09:34] I think I got a hit.
[00:09:37] The guide said, you'll know when the fish bites.
[00:09:40] And boy did I know.
[00:09:42] I got a pull on my pole.
[00:09:43] And it was bent over.
[00:09:44] I was so excited.
[00:09:46] I'm reeling it in, reeling it in.
[00:09:48] Seems to take forever.
[00:09:49] I finally get it around to the side of the boat, pull it out of the water.
[00:09:53] I'm telling you, it was a big fish.
[00:09:56] Someone said, that could have been 50 pounds.
[00:09:58] I don't know.
[00:09:59] Someone said it.
[00:10:00] And right before we got it in the net, the line broke and the fish was gone.
[00:10:05] And then you tell people and no one believes you.
[00:10:07] Oh yeah, I had a job.
[00:10:09] I went, sure you did.
[00:10:11] So I don't have a lot to say about fishing for fish, but I know there's right and wrong ways to do it.
[00:10:17] And there's right and wrong ways to share our faith as well.
[00:10:21] And in this message we're going to look at the statement of Jesus to Simon Peter after a night of failed fishing.
[00:10:29] And the Lord said, follow me and I will make you a fisher of men.
[00:10:35] Now the problem today is not so much that people share the gospel the wrong way.
[00:10:40] It's that they don't share the gospel in any way.
[00:10:44] Why is it we don't talk to people about the Lord?
[00:10:47] I read that eight out of 10 Christians never share the gospel.
[00:10:53] What are the reasons?
[00:10:54] Or maybe we could classify them as excuses.
[00:10:57] According to a survey that was done among Christians as to why they do not share their faith, the number one reason, fear of offending someone.
[00:11:07] 60% said, I'm afraid I'll offend someone if I share my faith.
[00:11:12] 50% said, well, I won't know what to say.
[00:11:16] 40% said, well, it's the fear of rejection.
[00:11:20] Also, there was a fear of being perceived as being judgmental or intolerant.
[00:11:26] So here's God's response to those reasons or excuses.
[00:11:31] He says, go into all the world and preach the gospel.
[00:11:34] This is not optional.
[00:11:36] This is a command from our Lord to go and tell others about Jesus.
[00:11:42] True, it may offend some.
[00:11:44] But on the other hand, others will believe and have their life changed as a result.
[00:11:49] You will not always know what to say, but I suggest you know a whole lot more than you think you know if you would just take that step of faith and engage someone in a conversation about Jesus.
[00:12:02] Yes, you will be rejected by some,
[00:12:05] But you will also be accepted by others.
[00:12:08] And yes, someone may classify you as judgmental or intolerant, but that's just the price we may have to pay.
[00:12:17] But when is the last time you shared your faith?
[00:12:20] Was it yesterday?
[00:12:21] Was it a week ago?
[00:12:22] Was it a month ago?
[00:12:23] Was it a decade ago?
[00:12:25] Was it never?
[00:12:27] Well, let's look at what Jesus has to say about that.
[00:12:30] So we're gonna read Luke chapter five, verses one to 10 together, and I'm reading from the New Living Translation.
[00:12:38] How many of you brought your Bible with you?
[00:12:40] Let me see your Bible.
[00:12:41] Oh, that's very good, very good, okay.
[00:12:44] Let's read together.
[00:12:45] Luke five, verse one.
[00:12:47] One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.
[00:12:55] He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them as they were washing their nets.
[00:13:01] Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push out into the water.
[00:13:07] So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
[00:13:11] When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Now go out where it's deeper and let down your nets for a great catch of fish.
[00:13:19] Master, Simon replied, we've worked hard all night and we didn't catch a thing.
[00:13:25] But if you say so, I'll let down the net.
[00:13:29] At this time their net was so full of fish it began to tear.
[00:13:32] A shout for help brought boats from their partners and other boats, and soon both boats were filled with fish and were on the verge of sinking.
[00:13:41] When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said,
[00:13:48] Please leave me, for I am a sinful man.
[00:13:51] For he was awestruck by the number of fish that they had caught, as were the others with him.
[00:13:56] His partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
[00:14:01] Jesus replied to Simon, Don't be afraid.
[00:14:04] From now on you'll be fishing for men.
[00:14:07] And as soon as they landed, they left everything and they followed Jesus.
[00:14:12] Wow, I love that story.
[00:14:14] So this is how a miracle of Jesus touched the lives of three men, Peter, James, and John.
[00:14:23] These men were handpicked by the Lord for very special tasks.
[00:14:28] They had the ultimate backstage access.
[00:14:32] They were exclusively invited to some special events in the life of our Lord.
[00:14:38] I remember years ago we had a harvest night at Disneyland.
[00:14:43] Does anyone remember the harvest night at Disneyland?
[00:14:46] I thought you'd all be dead by now.
[00:14:48] No, I'm kidding.
[00:14:49] I'm still here.
[00:14:51] But it was years ago.
[00:14:53] We took over the entire park.
[00:14:57] and we took all the stages and put Christian bands in and evangelists preaching from every one of those stages and we gave invitations for people to come to Christ and many did and we did follow-up counseling in the Golden Horseshoe Theater.
[00:15:12] I can hardly believe we did this thing.
[00:15:14] I preached the gospel from Tom Sawyer's Island and there were 15,000 people there.
[00:15:20] It was an amazing event, but yeah, it was.
[00:15:26] But because we had booked the entire park, I had access early on.
[00:15:31] So before they let the crowds in, I was walking around Disneyland like I was Walt Disney.
[00:15:38] There was no one there, no one stopping me, and they're just kind of cleaning things up, getting ready.
[00:15:43] And I just thought of how many times I'd been to this place, going back to the earliest days of my childhood.
[00:15:49] You know, I remember when I was a little boy, I'd walk down Main Street, you know, those little facades of buildings there, which are a recreation of Walt's childhood hometown, and I would look at those little places up above, and I thought, I wish I could live in one of those.
[00:16:05] And sadly, I was thinking this when I was 40.
[00:16:08] But no, not really.
[00:16:10] But actually, I made a vow when I was a little boy and we were driving to Disneyland.
[00:16:15] And my vow was this.
[00:16:16] When I become an adult, I will go to Disneyland every day of my life.
[00:16:23] Needless to say, I did not keep that vow.
[00:16:25] But backstage access, it was amazing.
[00:16:28] But Peter, James, and John, they had the ultimate backstage access because Jesus took them to places the other disciples were not invited to.
[00:16:40] For example, when Jesus was transfigured, when he shined like the sun and Moses was on one side and Elijah was on the other, who was there?
[00:16:50] Peter, James, and John.
[00:16:52] When he raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, who did he take in there with him?
[00:16:57] Peter, James, and John.
[00:17:00] When he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating as it were great drops of blood, according to Dr. Luke, who was there?
[00:17:08] Peter, James, and John.
[00:17:10] So we think, wow, that must be because they were like the spiritual elite, maybe a little bit better than the others.
[00:17:17] That may be true.
[00:17:18] But I have another theory.
[00:17:21] I remember when I was in elementary school, I used to get in trouble a lot with my teachers because I would disrupt classes.
[00:17:29] And so I can think of times where the teacher would say, Greg Laurie, I want you to bring your desk up here right next to mine so I can keep my eye on you.
[00:17:40] Maybe Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, you're the troubled children.
[00:17:44] You're gonna have to come with, I wanna keep my eye on you.
[00:17:48] Let's go, boys.
[00:17:49] I don't know why, but you don't end up with the nickname Sons of Thunder for nothing.
[00:17:55] Sounds like an outlaw motorcycle gang or a rock band, right?
[00:17:59] But that's what James and John were called, the Sons of Thunder.
[00:18:03] Why?
[00:18:04] Because they wanted to call fire down in a city that was not receptive to their preaching.
[00:18:09] A little on the overkill side, perhaps.
[00:18:11] and Simon Peter.
[00:18:13] His faux pas and misstatements were legendary.
[00:18:17] So maybe that's why he took them to these special places.
[00:18:21] I'm not really sure.
[00:18:23] And also we know that James and John said, Lord, we want to sit on your right and your left hand when you come into your kingdom.
[00:18:32] That's a little bit on the presumptuous side, wouldn't you say?
[00:18:34] They should be glad God didn't answer their prayer.
[00:18:38] Because when Jesus was taken to the cross, two thieves were crucified on each side of Him.
[00:18:45] It's a good thing He didn't give them what they asked for.
[00:18:47] Thank God for unanswered prayers, right?
[00:18:51] So, here they are fishing one day, and Jesus shows up.
[00:18:54] Verse 3.
[00:18:56] Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon its owner to push out into the water, and he sat on the boat and taught the crowds from there.
[00:19:05] So, there was a huge multitude of people around Jesus, pressing in on Him.
[00:19:11] And he said, I need to get a little distance between me and this crowd.
[00:19:15] So, hey Peter, can I use your boat?
[00:19:17] And he climbs into the boat.
[00:19:19] Now this might seem a little presumptuous on the part of Jesus, just to come to Peter cold.
[00:19:24] Hey, I need your boat now.
[00:19:25] But actually, this is not the first time that Peter encountered Jesus.
[00:19:30] That's recorded over in John chapter one.
[00:19:33] Where Jesus sees Peter and we read in John 1 42 Jesus looking intently at Simon said your name is Simon son of John but you will be called Cephas which means Peter and that phrase looking at him means to look intently at him it was a look of discernment a look of perception basically he looked at Simon and said
[00:19:58] I'm calling you Peter.
[00:19:59] You're gonna be a rock.
[00:20:02] You see, Jesus saw Peter for what he would become, not for simply what he was.
[00:20:08] And then he said to him, follow me and I'll make you a fisher of men.
[00:20:13] But yet, here now is Peter out fishing again.
[00:20:17] And by the way, not catching anything either.
[00:20:20] So why did he have this calling of Jesus on his life and then go back to business as usual?
[00:20:27] I don't know the answer to that.
[00:20:29] I don't want to be critical of him because I'll tell you, when I first came to Christ, I didn't know hardly anything.
[00:20:35] If you would have done a little theology test in me, I'm sure I would have disappointed you greatly.
[00:20:41] But I understood that Jesus was real and I wanted a relationship with Him and as I began to read the Bible and grow in my knowledge of who God was and what God wanted of me, it changed me.
[00:20:55] And I think Peter was very new at all of this and was still figuring it out.
[00:21:00] They didn't realize that God was going to mold and shape them into world changers.
[00:21:05] And some of them would even write scripture.
[00:21:08] So at this moment in their life they just went back to fishing again.
[00:21:13] Not realizing that God had a greater plan for them.
[00:21:17] So here's Peter sitting in his boat listening to the sermon of Jesus.
[00:21:23] He's a captive audience.
[00:21:24] you know he knows maybe he messed up a little bit like I maybe I should have gone out fishing after he told me to go fishing for men and then I'm gonna get lectured I'm gonna get in trouble when he's done and the very opposite happened and I think sometimes we see God that way I'm in trouble with God God's mad at me hey God's not mad at you God's mad about you
[00:21:47] Jesus was going to bless Simon Peter.
[00:21:50] So after they're done fishing, in effect, Jesus is saying, hey man, thanks for the use of your boat.
[00:21:56] I have something for you.
[00:21:57] Verse four, go out where it's deeper and let down your nets for a great catch of fish.
[00:22:03] Now understand, Peter's a seasoned fisherman.
[00:22:07] He's been out in these waters since his boyhood.
[00:22:10] He knows when the fish are biting and he knows when they're not biting.
[00:22:14] Also, fishing is very difficult work.
[00:22:18] Backbreaking where you throw out a huge net in a semi-circle and then you pull it back into the boat and you do this over and over again.
[00:22:27] It's exhausting.
[00:22:29] They've already done this a lot.
[00:22:31] They haven't caught a single fish and Jesus says, let's launch out into the deep.
[00:22:36] Now, you know, Peter might have been thinking, you know, Jesus, look, we hang on your every word.
[00:22:43] You're the greatest teacher we've ever heard.
[00:22:46] But you're kind of a land lover.
[00:22:48] You're sort of an inland guy, okay?
[00:22:51] I mean, Nazareth, what is that, like two days journey from the Sea of Galilee?
[00:22:56] We kind of know about this.
[00:22:58] Maybe this isn't the best idea, but to Peter's credit, he actually obeys the Lord and he says, we've fished all night and we've caught nothing.
[00:23:06] Nevertheless, at your word, Lord, we will do it.
[00:23:10] And he uses an interesting word, master, at your word, master.
[00:23:14] It's a nautical term that means captain of this boat.
[00:23:18] Now it comes down to how did Peter say that?
[00:23:21] Did he say, Lord, we've toiled all night, we've caught nothing, nevertheless, captain of this boat.
[00:23:27] will do it.
[00:23:29] Or did he say, hey, we've trailed all night, we've caught nothing, and nevertheless, captain, aye aye, sir, we'll do exactly as you said.
[00:23:36] Well, whatever it was, to his credit, they were willing to take that step of faith with one little caveat.
[00:23:44] Jesus said, throw your nets out into the water for a great fish, and Peter threw a net out.
[00:23:52] And what was the result?
[00:23:54] His net was overflowing.
[00:23:55] The boats were overflowing.
[00:23:57] If he would have thrown nets out, they would have caught more fish.
[00:24:01] So the point is we need to do God's will in God's way.
[00:24:06] And so now, look, Peter has seen miracles already.
[00:24:11] I mean, Jesus had already healed his mother-in-law.
[00:24:16] And he also saw the first miracle of our Lord where he turned water into wine.
[00:24:22] But this was different.
[00:24:24] Jesus was now entering Peter's private world.
[00:24:28] Jesus was not going to do a miracle for Peter that he would understand like no other miracle.
[00:24:34] He was going to multiply fish.
[00:24:37] This was like a custom miracle in a sense.
[00:24:41] And you know God reaches us all in different ways.
[00:24:45] The way God reached me was through a pretty girl.
[00:24:49] I was on my high school campus.
[00:24:51] You've heard my story before but
[00:24:53] There was a lot of Christians there.
[00:24:55] We called them Jesus freaks, not meant as a compliment.
[00:25:00] And one day I saw one of my friends talking to this pretty girl.
[00:25:03] And it sounded like she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen.
[00:25:06] But there was something about this girl that caught my eye.
[00:25:08] And I thought, I want to meet this girl.
[00:25:10] So I walked up and I was waiting for a break in the conversation.
[00:25:13] I'm kind of looking at this girl and looked down and saw her notebook for class.
[00:25:17] And I saw a textbook and then I saw, oh no.
[00:25:20] I saw one of these books.
[00:25:23] And I thought, oh no.
[00:25:24] You know with gold pages and ribbons.
[00:25:26] There's only one book that has gold pages and ribbons.
[00:25:30] She had a Bible and I went, oh no.
[00:25:33] What a waste of a perfectly cute girl.
[00:25:37] She's a Jesus freak.
[00:25:40] But why would she be a Jesus freak?
[00:25:43] What is wrong with her?
[00:25:45] And that day, walking across my high school campus, I went looking for her, and I found her sitting with her Christian friends on the front lawn of our high school campus, singing songs about Jesus, and I sat close enough to eavesdrop on the conversation, but not so close people would think I was joining them, and that was the day I came to Christ.
[00:26:06] They made a movie about it, by the way, called Jesus Revolution, directed by John Irwin, sitting here in the front row.
[00:26:15] Thank you for that, John.
[00:26:17] It literally has touched people all around the world.
[00:26:19] And we're thankful for that.
[00:26:20] But here's the point.
[00:26:22] I just wanted to talk about the movie.
[00:26:23] No, not really.
[00:26:24] My point is that how did God reach me?
[00:26:28] He invaded my little world as a 17-year-old kid.
[00:26:32] And this girl caught my eye.
[00:26:34] He invaded the world of Simon Peter with a lot of fish.
[00:26:38] Peter understood that.
[00:26:39] But think about the way that God reached the great intellect
[00:26:43] Augustine.
[00:26:45] Augustine is one of the greatest minds of the ancient world.
[00:26:49] Born in AD 354 in Africa, he pursued meaning in life through philosophy, intellectual achievement, and unbridled pleasure.
[00:27:01] He had a mistress for 15 years.
[00:27:03] He fathered a son out of wedlock.
[00:27:06] Augustine thought he would find fulfillment through partying and drinking and rampant immorality.
[00:27:12] But none of it satisfied the mind and heart of this searching scholar.
[00:27:17] But Augustine had a mother who prayed for him.
[00:27:20] And her name was Monica.
[00:27:22] And she prayed for him again and again and again.
[00:27:25] And Augustine was in Italy visiting Milan.
[00:27:28] And he was in the garden.
[00:27:29] And he heard a little child repeating a phrase over and over again.
[00:27:34] And the phrase was,
[00:27:35] Take and read, take and read.
[00:27:38] He never saw the child, but he heard the voice, take and read.
[00:27:42] And to him, that was a revelation that the answer he was looking for was the Bible.
[00:27:48] So he opened the Bible and he came upon this passage, Romans 13.
[00:27:52] Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness and sexual promiscuity and immoral living or in quarreling or jealousy.
[00:28:01] Instead, clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:28:05] And he read those words and put his faith in Christ and went on to be one of the great theologians of church history.
[00:28:12] God will reach you where you are.
[00:28:15] A silly kid at the age of 17 through a pretty girl.
[00:28:19] A great scholar like Augustine through the voice of a simple child.
[00:28:24] A guy who spends his time in the water through fish.
[00:28:27] But he reaches us all.
[00:28:28] It's sort of like when Amazon brings your package.
[00:28:31] They don't just throw it in the middle of the street.
[00:28:34] They bring it right to your door and maybe even take a picture of it.
[00:28:37] And you get an email.
[00:28:39] There it is.
[00:28:40] Waiting for me.
[00:28:40] I hope the porch pirates don't get it before I get home.
[00:28:44] But maybe you're like those people that put those exploding boxes.
[00:28:47] Have you seen those videos?
[00:28:49] And they have all this dye.
[00:28:50] I have to say, I love those, but it seems a little dangerous to me.
[00:28:57] But God brings the Gospel right to us in a way that we can understand just as He did for Simon Peter.
[00:29:06] And it reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God.
[00:29:10] So Peter, you know, he's blown away.
[00:29:12] All these fish.
[00:29:14] And he just says, Lord,
[00:29:16] Depart from me, I'm a sinful man.
[00:29:19] Jesus, I appreciate the fact that you called me.
[00:29:22] I appreciate the fact that you gave me a new name.
[00:29:24] I love the name Rocky.
[00:29:26] There's a theme song that goes with it, I think.
[00:29:29] But I'm never gonna measure up.
[00:29:31] I'm gonna let you down.
[00:29:33] I'm gonna disappoint you.
[00:29:34] Don't bother with me.
[00:29:36] And that is the perfect reaction to a man that comes into the presence of God.
[00:29:42] When you see God in His greatness, you will see yourself in your smallness.
[00:29:48] When Job encountered the Lord in Job 42, he said, I've heard you with my ear, but now my eye sees you.
[00:29:55] And then he says, and I abhor myself in dust and ashes.
[00:30:00] Isaiah says, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon His throne.
[00:30:07] He was high and lifted up, and His glory filled the temple.
[00:30:11] and the angels cried, holy, holy, holy is the Lord.
[00:30:15] And then Isaiah said, and I said, woe unto me.
[00:30:18] I'm undone.
[00:30:20] I'm a man of unclean lips.
[00:30:23] And then an angel of the Lord flew from the altar with a live coal and touched it to my lips and said, lo, I'm calling you to go with me.
[00:30:32] So it's really amazing.
[00:30:33] You can sum up the encounter of Isaiah with God in three words.
[00:30:37] Woe, lo and go.
[00:30:40] First he sees his sinfulness, then he hears the call to go.
[00:30:44] And that's what was happening with Peter as well.
[00:30:46] I'm calling you, Peter.
[00:30:48] Peter says, don't waste your time on me.
[00:30:50] Jesus says, listen to me.
[00:30:51] If you follow me, you'll go fishing for men.
[00:30:55] A better translation would be, you will catch men alive.
[00:31:01] The Greek verb here is unusual and it only occurs in one other place in the Bible.
[00:31:06] It's 2 Timothy 2.26 where Paul speaking of non-believers says that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who has taken them captive or caught them alive at his will.
[00:31:21] So either we're gonna catch people alive with the gospel or the devil is gonna catch people alive in darkness.
[00:31:29] God's calling us to go fishing for men as well.
[00:31:34] So they left everything and they followed Jesus.
[00:31:38] So as we wrap this message up, let me close with just a few principles
[00:31:43] If you take away truths that will help you do a better job of fishing for men.
[00:31:49] If you're taking notes, here's point number one.
[00:31:52] A fisherman needs to be patient.
[00:31:55] A fisherman needs to be patient.
[00:31:57] It takes time to catch fish and it takes time to win people to Jesus Christ.
[00:32:03] The Bible also compares evangelism to farming.
[00:32:06] 1 Corinthians 3.6 Paul writes, I planted the seed in your heart.
[00:32:12] Apollos, another preacher, watered it.
[00:32:14] But it was God who made it grow.
[00:32:16] It's not important who does the planting or who does the watering.
[00:32:20] What's important is that God makes it grow.
[00:32:24] So our job is to put the hook in the water, pull the net through the water, or sow the seed.
[00:32:31] If you're a farmer, you don't sow corn on Monday and get in your tractor and go looking for it on Tuesday.
[00:32:39] It's going to take you some time as well and we need to be patient with people.
[00:32:43] You know sometimes the gospel it's like a little time bomb.
[00:32:48] It detonates later.
[00:32:50] You share something with someone they may not even seem interested as you share it with them but maybe at three o'clock in the morning they'll wake up thinking about what you said to them.
[00:33:00] I remember we did a crusade years ago in Hawaii and we were out inviting people giving out little
[00:33:08] I was told the story of a little boy who said to his dad, Dad, can I give an invitation to that man?
[00:33:15] He was this big burly biker dude all tatted up and his dad was a little intimidated by this guy and said, I don't know.
[00:33:23] So he goes, I'm going to do it, Dad.
[00:33:24] And he walked up to the biker, pulls on his arm and gives him the invitation.
[00:33:29] The guy grabbed it, looked at it, crumpled it up and threw it on the ground.
[00:33:33] Okay, let's get out of here.
[00:33:35] Or we're still alive.
[00:33:36] That night the crusade happened and the invitation was given and one of the first people to walk forward was that biker dude.
[00:33:44] That son of thunder, you see.
[00:33:49] Oh, and that was a failure.
[00:33:50] You gave him the invitation.
[00:33:51] He crumpled it up.
[00:33:53] Yeah, that was just an act.
[00:33:54] It touched his heart.
[00:33:56] And that's the gospel.
[00:33:57] You sow the seed and you trust the Lord.
[00:34:00] You know, we want to see immediate results but it takes time.
[00:34:04] We must be patient as we share the gospel.
[00:34:07] Number two, a fisherman must persevere.
[00:34:09] Maybe you go fishing and there's no fish biting.
[00:34:14] You share the gospel and no one's responding until you go somewhere else and you come back again to that place you were at before.
[00:34:20] You never know.
[00:34:21] Consider Noah.
[00:34:23] He went 120 years without a single convert.
[00:34:27] That means he would have done around 6,240 sermons that be preached once a week.
[00:34:34] People might ask him, how did church go today, Noah?
[00:34:37] Family showed up.
[00:34:39] and a bunch of people laughing at my boat.
[00:34:41] That's pretty much it.
[00:34:43] But he was faithful because God doesn't grade us on our closing percentage.
[00:34:47] He grades us on our obedience.
[00:34:50] Our job is to sow the seed.
[00:34:53] The story is told of a missionary named George Smith who died on his knees praying for Africa.
[00:34:59] He had a short ministry there and he only had one convert.
[00:35:03] But some experts went in later, missionary experts, and they determined that 100 years later, over 13,000 people became believers and they were all connected to the one convert, a missionary, George Smith.
[00:35:21] So we say, well, I haven't been that effective.
[00:35:23] Well, how do you know?
[00:35:25] Because you know time passes and this person reaches that person and that person reaches another person.
[00:35:32] And then in the end you find out you were a whole lot more effective than you thought you were.
[00:35:36] Therefore just be faithful in those little things that God has set before you.
[00:35:41] Number three, a good fisherman must know how to go to the right place at the right time.
[00:35:46] Sometimes doors open unexpectedly.
[00:35:49] The Bible says be instant in season and out of season or another translation says be on duty at all times.
[00:35:57] You never know the Lord will call on you.
[00:35:59] I was in a sushi restaurant in New York City not that long ago with my wife Kathy and we're sitting there and the famous designer Calvin Klein walks in.
[00:36:11] I'd seen his photo before and I said Kathy Calvin Klein just walked in.
[00:36:16] So I determined, I'm gonna talk to him.
[00:36:19] I'm gonna say something to him about Jesus.
[00:36:22] So I waited till our meal was done and I walked over to his table and I said, hello Mr. Klein, you're an amazing designer.
[00:36:29] He said, well thank you.
[00:36:30] I said, I had something I wanted to say to you.
[00:36:32] He looked up, yes.
[00:36:34] I wanted to tell you that Jesus Christ loves you.
[00:36:37] He smiled, he said, thank you.
[00:36:39] You're welcome.
[00:36:40] And then I walked away and my wife overheard him say to his friend, I like his jacket.
[00:36:48] Now I don't know, I don't think I was wearing this jacket, but you know, I said Calvin Klein liked my jacket.
[00:36:53] That's pretty, I mean, he is a designer, right?
[00:36:57] Now you might say, well Greg, why didn't you grab him by his Calvin Klein collar and shake him and tell him to believe in Jesus?
[00:37:03] Answer, because I just felt led to sow a little seed.
[00:37:07] I don't know how many Christians Calvin Klein has met in his life.
[00:37:11] I don't know how they've treated him.
[00:37:13] I don't know what they've said to him.
[00:37:15] But I just wanted him to know that I could tell him he's talented and gifted and that he's loved by Jesus Christ and that I have a nice jacket.
[00:37:27] But there was another time I was in a restaurant.
[00:37:29] Sounds like all I do is go to restaurants.
[00:37:32] I was in a restaurant and I was with some of our pastors that work with us.
[00:37:36] And the server said, you know, you're pastors from a church.
[00:37:40] Yes, we are.
[00:37:41] I need to come out there sometime.
[00:37:43] One of your services.
[00:37:44] Well, this is when our services are.
[00:37:46] Oh, I work on Sunday.
[00:37:48] But I need to get right with God.
[00:37:49] And the Lord spoke to my heart as clear as day and said, just lead her to me now.
[00:37:55] I said, let me ask you a question.
[00:37:56] Would you like to accept Jesus Christ right now at service like holding her trade?
[00:38:01] Like now?
[00:38:02] Yeah, right now, would you like to pray and ask Jesus into your life?
[00:38:06] She said, I would.
[00:38:07] She set her tray down, I led her in a prayer, and she committed her life to Jesus.
[00:38:12] So, sometimes you sow a seed.
[00:38:17] Sometimes you sow a seed, sometimes you water a seed that someone else has sown.
[00:38:22] Number four, a fisherman must have skill rather than reels or rods.
[00:38:27] Our tools are the Bible and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
[00:38:33] And when you engage someone with the gospel, the idea is to sort of build a bridge, not burn a bridge.
[00:38:40] The objective is to win the soul, not just win an argument.
[00:38:45] I think sometimes Christians want to blow people out of the water.
[00:38:48] Yeah, I showed them.
[00:38:50] Yeah, what did you show them?
[00:38:51] That you're an idiot?
[00:38:53] I would rather win the person to Christ or start a dialogue or start a conversation.
[00:38:59] And sometimes that begins with chumming.
[00:39:01] You know what I mean by chumming?
[00:39:03] When you put some bait in the water to get the fish to come bite.
[00:39:07] I read a story about a guy that was at a pier and he started chumming over the side of the pier because he wanted to attract sharks.
[00:39:16] And some sharks showed up and he went to swim with them.
[00:39:18] And guess what happened?
[00:39:20] He got bit.
[00:39:22] And a reporter actually talked to him about it and he says, well I wanted to attract sharks and it worked.
[00:39:27] Okay.
[00:39:29] But the fact is when we chum we do want people to bite hoping they will take the bait and say I want to know more about Jesus Christ.
[00:39:37] And what do I mean by chumming?
[00:39:39] It means when you are just talking with somebody just throw something in there.
[00:39:43] Maybe the person says what is going on in this crazy world?
[00:39:47] You say I don't know but I will tell you this.
[00:39:49] God has some great promises about our future.
[00:39:52] Now they might say, whatever, and just move on.
[00:39:55] Or they might say, well, tell me what you mean about that.
[00:39:57] That's chumming.
[00:39:58] When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well in John 4, classic example of chumming, if you will.
[00:40:05] He walks up to her and says, can I get a drink of water?
[00:40:08] She says, why would you, a Jew, ask for a drink of water from me, a Samaritan?
[00:40:12] Don't you know that Jews have no dealings with Samaritans?
[00:40:15] Jesus says, you know, if you knew who you were talking to, you would ask him, and he would give you living water.
[00:40:21] Oh yeah, what is this living water?
[00:40:23] See, he's engaging her, and that conversation resulted in that woman believing.
[00:40:29] Some years ago we were in Mexico fishing.
[00:40:32] I told you I'd use every fishing story I have.
[00:40:35] This is another one.
[00:40:36] We're fishing.
[00:40:37] No fish are biting so they start chumming.
[00:40:41] Still no fish are biting.
[00:40:42] Then one person got sick and threw up over the side of the boat and fish were biting everywhere.
[00:40:49] Vomit is good chum.
[00:40:50] I don't know.
[00:40:51] It's just...
[00:40:52] I can't think of any application for that in evangelism but all I'm saying is it's a weird story and I wanted to share it with you.
[00:41:03] But our primary tool in sharing our faith is the Word of God.
[00:41:07] It will not return void.
[00:41:09] It will prosper in the place that God sends it.
[00:41:13] That is why the Bible says in 2 Timothy that we should study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
[00:41:26] We're told in 1 Peter 3.15, always be prepared to give an answer
[00:41:31] To someone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do it with gentleness and respect.
[00:41:38] Final point, a good fisherman knows how to work with others.
[00:41:43] Cooperation.
[00:41:46] Did you notice that, have you ever noticed that Jesus sent people out in pairs?
[00:41:51] It's good to go out with someone else, especially if you're new at this.
[00:41:55] I remember when I was a brand new believer, I wanted to learn how to evangelize.
[00:41:59] So some seasoned Christians went out and I said, can I come with you?
[00:42:04] Sure, come along.
[00:42:05] So these two Christians start talking to some non-believer and one of them starts arguing with the other Christian.
[00:42:11] They're having a debate.
[00:42:12] The non-believer's like, whatever, just walks off.
[00:42:14] I thought, I don't think that's the way to do it.
[00:42:17] See, each of us might have a different ability.
[00:42:20] Some people are better at just engaging a stranger in a conversation.
[00:42:25] Other people are better at follow-up and detail and maybe at apologetics.
[00:42:30] It's sort of like the Avengers.
[00:42:32] Each one has their skill.
[00:42:35] Iron Man builds stuff.
[00:42:37] Thor has his big hammer.
[00:42:39] Hulk, he just breaks things.
[00:42:41] And maybe you're like Iron Man.
[00:42:43] You know, you're good at building relationships.
[00:42:46] Others are good at bold proclamation.
[00:42:48] You're like Thor with a hammer.
[00:42:50] Others just destroy things.
[00:42:51] You're like Hulk.
[00:42:52] I'm not sure what that's good for.
[00:42:54] But I know a lot of people that do that.
[00:42:56] They're good at destroying things, not at building things.
[00:42:59] But you have to find what your gifting is and start using that gifting.
[00:43:04] Because Jesus has called us all to go fishing for men.
[00:43:10] So the title of this message is When Jesus Gets into Your Boat.
[00:43:15] And I wonder if He's in your boat right now, and I'm using that as a metaphor for your life.
[00:43:21] Maybe you've gone out with your plans and they've not succeeded.
[00:43:27] The things that you thought would make you happy have not made you happy.
[00:43:31] There's an emptiness, there's a void, and you're wondering why.
[00:43:35] Have you invited Jesus into your life, into your boat?
[00:43:39] You say, well, I'll clean my life up and come to Christ.
[00:43:44] You don't need to clean your life up and come to Christ.
[00:43:46] You come to Christ and He'll clean your life up.
[00:43:50] Jesus cleans His fish after He catches them.
[00:43:54] One more fish story.
[00:43:57] Alaska.
[00:43:59] I'm with Franklin Graham.
[00:44:01] We're fishing for salmon.
[00:44:02] He's a seasoned fisherman.
[00:44:04] And I caught one.
[00:44:06] And we came in and he said, well, we gotta clean these fish, Greg.
[00:44:09] I said, Franklin, would you clean my fish?
[00:44:11] He said, no.
[00:44:13] You need to learn how to do it for yourself.
[00:44:16] How do I do it?
[00:44:17] I'll show you.
[00:44:18] It's pretty gross to clean a fish.
[00:44:20] We're not talking soap and water here, folks.
[00:44:23] Cut off its head, pull out its guts.
[00:44:26] But after you season it and put it on a grill, it's pretty nice, especially salmon, right?
[00:44:31] Now I'm not suggesting God's gonna cut your head off and pull out your guts when He cleans you.
[00:44:37] But my point is that He will clean your life up.
[00:44:40] You don't have to do that for yourself.
[00:44:42] You come as you are.
[00:44:43] I love how Peter came to Jesus.
[00:44:45] I'm a sinful man.
[00:44:47] Don't bother with me.
[00:44:48] Jesus said, no, follow me.
[00:44:50] I'll make you a fisher of men.
[00:44:52] God specializes in turning sinners into saints.
[00:44:57] He'll change you, but you must come to Him.
[00:44:59] Yes, but you, like Peter, need to admit you're a sinner.
[00:45:03] The Bible says all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
[00:45:08] Every one of us have broken God's commandments and every one of us have fallen short of our standards.
[00:45:13] But the good news is 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin and paid for it and rose again from the dead.
[00:45:24] And now He stands at the door of your life and He knocks and He says if you'll hear His voice and open the door He'll come in.
[00:45:31] See, Jesus wanted to get into the boat of Peter.
[00:45:34] Peter could have said, I don't want you in my boat.
[00:45:36] And he would have gone out and fished and caught nothing and missed out.
[00:45:41] But he said, all right, come on in.
[00:45:43] Jesus won't force his way into your life.
[00:45:45] You have to invite him in.
[00:45:48] No one else can do that for you.
[00:45:50] Only you can open the door of your heart, so to speak, and invite Christ to come in.
[00:45:56] And in closing, I'm gonna give you an opportunity to do that.
[00:46:00] An opportunity to have your sin forgiven by Jesus.
[00:46:04] An opportunity to change your eternal address from hell to heaven.
[00:46:10] It's your choice.
[00:46:11] Make the right choice and believe in Jesus.
[00:46:14] As we close in prayer because He is only a prayer away.
[00:46:19] Let's pray.
[00:46:20] Father, speak to the heart of every person here, every person watching wherever they are.
[00:46:26] If they don't have a relationship with You, let this be the moment they believe.
[00:46:32] Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying together, maybe you would say, man, I need Jesus.
[00:46:41] I've gone out and chased after all the things this culture says will make me happy and it hasn't made me happy.
[00:46:48] And I do care about the purpose of my life and I care a lot about the afterlife.
[00:46:56] I don't know where I'll go when I die and I want to go to heaven.
[00:46:59] Listen, if you want your sin forgiven, if you want to go to heaven when you die, if you want that hole in your heart filled,
[00:47:09] And you want to find the meaning and purpose of life.
[00:47:12] If you're ready to say yes to Jesus Christ wherever you are, I want you to just lift up your hand and I'm going to pray for you.
[00:47:21] Lift up your hand saying, I need Jesus today.
[00:47:24] Pray for me.
[00:47:25] God bless you.
[00:47:26] Lift your hand up.
[00:47:27] I'll pray for you today.
[00:47:28] God bless you.
[00:47:29] Anybody else?
[00:47:29] Raise your hand up high where I can see it.
[00:47:32] Saying, I want Christ in my life.
[00:47:34] I want Him to forgive me of my sin.
[00:47:36] God bless you as well.
[00:47:38] Raise your hand up wherever you are.
[00:47:40] God bless.
[00:47:42] You might be at Harvest Riverside, Harvest Maui.
[00:47:45] You can raise your hand too.
[00:47:47] I can't see you, but the Lord does.
[00:47:49] Let's take that simple step of faith saying, I want Jesus in my life.
[00:47:54] God bless all of you.
[00:47:55] Now I'm going to ask every one of you that has lifted their hand to stand up and I'm going to lead you in a prayer.
[00:48:03] Stand up.
[00:48:03] You heard me right.
[00:48:04] If you raise your hand, stand up.
[00:48:06] Maybe you did not raise your hand but you want to begin this relationship with God.
[00:48:11] Let me lead you in this prayer.
[00:48:13] Stand to your feet wherever you are.
[00:48:14] God bless you.
[00:48:16] Wherever you are, you want Christ to come into your life, stand up and let me pray with you.
[00:48:22] Stand up and we'll pray together.
[00:48:24] God bless you.
[00:48:25] I'll wait one more moment.
[00:48:26] By the way, others are standing so you won't be alone.
[00:48:30] There might be a few more of you that want to take this step of faith.
[00:48:32] God bless you and you and you.
[00:48:36] Anybody else?
[00:48:37] Stand now.
[00:48:38] Let me pray with you.
[00:48:40] God bless you.
[00:48:41] You won't regret this.
[00:48:44] Anybody else?
[00:48:45] God bless you.
[00:48:47] God bless all of you standing now.
[00:48:49] I'm gonna pray a simple prayer, and I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me.
[00:48:54] Right where you stand.
[00:48:55] Just pray it out loud.
[00:48:57] Pray this with me now.
[00:48:58] Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior.
[00:49:06] who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead.
[00:49:11] I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my Savior and my Lord, as my God and my friend.
[00:49:24] In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
[00:49:28] God bless each one of you that prayed that prayer.
[00:49:31] God bless you.