Luke

[0:00] of the Gospel recorded by Luke. Now, when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

[0:30] We have these words before us this morning, and we would observe, first of all, that here was an occasion in which the Lord Jesus Christ, first of all, dealt with one of his chosen disciples.

[0:53] It was not yet known that he was to be one of the Lord's disciples, but this was the first time that the Lord had close contact with him, and many things are brought out to light.

[1:15] In this interview that he had with Simon, who was surnamed by the Lord Peter, and called to be one of his choice disciples, I want us to take into account, as we consider the word this morning, certain things that are relative to this event, which lead up to, and to draw from these things, things that may be profitable to our personal youth.

[2:04] The Lord had been speaking, as we read here in the first verse, to a great multitude of people by the side of the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two ships standing.

[2:21] One of these two ships should be used, but we do know the one who used them knew everything, and needed no information.

[2:37] We know that he, the Lord Jesus, knew just what he would do, and also he knew which ship he would use.

[2:47] But the fact is a very striking one, and very blessed one indeed, that the Lord did use, when he was here on the earth, he did use the things that men possessed.

[3:10] He made wonderful use of some of these things, and that brings it home to you and to me, that he may, and indeed he will, if we belong to him, he will from time to time make use of the things that we possess.

[3:35] And at least he requires that these things should be at his disposal. There was no resistance on the part of Simon against the use that the Lord intended to make of his ship.

[3:58] He did not forbid his entrance and his occupation of the ship. It was part of his livelihood.

[4:15] It was the means whereby he sustained his life and his living. But he was totally willing for the Lord to use it as long as he wished to use it, and for whatever purpose he might be pleased to use it.

[4:38] He entered into the ship, and the ship was silent. That is one great thing I want us to dwell upon a little this morning.

[4:56] There is another feature here that we would observe also, and that is this. The word that the Lord spake to Simon in our text was a pattern of his own life and his own mission.

[5:18] He had come to launch out into the deep. He had come from heaven. He had come with the purpose of spreading the net of his grace, of the gospel of his grace, and of gathering in a great draft of fishes, a number which no man could number.

[5:52] The intent and purpose of the dear Redeemer in coming into this world was to launch out into the deep, and to lay down his nets, those wonderful nets of his grace.

[6:11] And what a wonderful mercy it is to be caught in those nets, to be gathered by the Lord, to be brought into his kingdom. He gave a parable on one occasion, and he speaks like this in the parable, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net cast into the sea, which gathers in fish of all kinds.

[6:39] So the Lord Jesus, in the gospel, in his ministry, in his life, and in the work that the Father gave him to do, he, as it were, launches into the deep to gather out of that deep his own elect people from all the four corners of the earth and bring them into the kingdom of his grace.

[7:13] Now, let us think, therefore, first of all this morning as to the time that these words were spoken.

[7:27] It was, indeed, one of the first miracles that Jesus Christ had performed.

[7:37] One of the first. Not the first, but one of them. And he, it followed his, his entrance into the ministry.

[7:56] We read this morning the account of the Lord's beginning of his ministry, beginning at Nazareth.

[8:07] and the Holy Spirit describes the scene on that first occasion when the Lord, having entered many times before into the synagogue of Nazareth, suddenly assumes a place and takes the word into his own hands and opens his lips in the first words on earth of the ministry of him who came from heaven.

[8:53] In the synagogue at Nazareth, he entered into the synagogue and the eyes of all them that were there were fastened upon him.

[9:16] And he opens the book and he opens it at that part of the scriptures which speaks prophetically of his coming and of his purposes of his coming.

[9:30] How that he had come to preach the gospel to the poor to open the eyes of the blind and to heal those that were bruised and to proclaim the acceptable day of the Lord.

[9:48] And we read that he closed the book after having read some verses, they weren't verses in his day of course, verses and chapters have been introduced new sins.

[10:02] They have their use, they are very valuable so that we can memorize the word of God but they were never there when Jesus preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

[10:16] It was one continuous word when he took the book. Sometimes chapters divert from the continuity of the scriptures.

[10:30] For instance, this chapter, the beginning of the fifth chapter, is really a diversion from the continuity of the truth because we need to follow very closely the scriptures in the fourth chapter of Luke into the fifth chapter because they are all part of the same.

[10:59] And we are apt to miss the significance of the teaching by these chapter divisions. Now, the Lord opened this book at Nazareth then and he began to preach and he spake some very solemn things.

[11:23] he told the people that in the days of Elijah there was only one woman to whom he was sent and she was a Gentile.

[11:36] She lived at Sarapta with a widow and then again in the time of his successor Elisha there was only one person that was cleansed and he was a Syrian, Naaman the Syrian and this teaching of Jesus rose up tremendous enmity in the hearts of the people.

[12:01] The whole congregation rose up as one man and they took Jesus and thrust him out and led him, forced him to the brow of the hill on which the city of Nazareth was built and would have thrust him down headlong but he the almighty son of God passed through the midst of them.

[12:28] And then we find him at Capernaum a village by the seaside the lake of Galilee and there again he enters into the synagogue and he preaches the same precious gospel and they hear that gospel and are amazed, astonished at his doctrine for his word was with power.

[13:04] And we read this that after he had preached in the synagogue of Capernaum he went out of the synagogue and entered into a house and that house was Simon's.

[13:23] So we have two things in this part of the word of God. We have the entrance of the Lord Jesus first of all into the house of Simon and then we have the entrance of the Lord Jesus into the ship that belonged to Simon.

[13:44] And I think in these two things we can see something that is of great importance to you and to me. First of all let us consider out of the synagogue into the house.

[14:01] you know it's a very important thing and a very precious thing when people take not only come to worship God in the synagogue or in the sanctuary but take what they receive back into the house and into the home.

[14:28] You know our deportment and our attitude and our behavior should not be different in the house of God from what it is in our own house in our own homes.

[14:45] It's a great thing to have Jesus Christ come out of the sanctuary into the house. I think that is why the Holy Spirit records this simple fact in the scriptures to impress the minds of all believers of the preciousness and of the need of having Jesus not only in the house of prayer but in the home in the surroundings of our daily life and what a place to have the Lord people whether it be a lonely home or whether it be otherwise whether it be a busy place full of activity or whether it be a quiet retreat it's an all important thing to have Jesus there and to have his presence and his blessing look at for instance what an amazing thing it was to this house of

[16:01] Simon's when Jesus came out of the synagogue into the house because there though they had not even trouble to tell the Lord we're told in another gospel that anon they told him of the fact that upstairs or in another room at any rate there was one who was desperately ill with the fever Simon's wife mother was sick with the fever but the Lord knew all about it though he was not informed and he rebukes the fever and it leaves the poor woman and she rises immediately and she ministers to all those present in

[17:01] Simon's house a wonderful translation transformation took place when Jesus enters into the house let us take note of this if there are problems and concerns and anxieties that press hard upon us let us remember this when Jesus Christ came into the house of Simon he put everything right his command his power put everything adjusted everything and rectified it all and the mother was restored perfectly then again we read another thing about this time and this is all at the very beginning of the ministerial life of the

[18:04] Lord Jesus Christ we find that at the close of the day it gives us a it gives us a wide specter as it were a spectrum of the life and activity of the Lord Jesus these few verses in the fourth and fifth chapters of Luke he comes they see we see him now at the close of the day when his work was over and yet we find him full of activity full of workings and administrations when the sun was setting all they that had sick with diseases divers diseases besought them brought them unto him and he laid his hands on them on every one of them and healed them he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them that was no small undertaking you know for the

[19:26] Lord the sun was setting the day was over his work had been fulfilled and yet he addressed himself even at this late hour to the needs of many and he healed them all there never was a time in all the world's history like this moment when as the sun was setting all the diseased in Capernaum and round about found one who could bring them perfect healing and perfect cure the Lord Jesus Christ had come and with him there was all power and every command that he made was singularly successful and triumphant and then again we read also here that when it was day when the new day came along and the sun rose again he departed into a desert place and the people sought him and came unto him and stayed him that he should not depart from them you see this man could not be hid if he sought privacy for a little time he was surrounded with an eager company of people that long to hear his voice and to receive his grace but it's a great thing when you read in the scriptures that he went into a desert place the

[21:30] Lord did not avoid even a desert place and neither will he avoid your desert places in your life let us remember this let us take encouragement from this truth that if you've got a desert place in your life that you feel is as barren as ever anything could be look at this scripture that tells you that Jesus went into a desert place he departed into it but there he found a company of people that pressed him and sought him and demanded that he should never depart from them and so we see therefore in these things the wonderful involvement of the Lord Jesus with the lives the affairs the human ways of men and also of their possessions now

[22:44] I want to come to that point very specially for the last few moments this morning he entered into one of the ships which was Simon and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land and he sat down and taught the people out of the ship wonderful use the Lord made of this simple possession I feel it comes it brings to our minds a whole range of things that are of great importance it shows us the real character of real religion religion because religion is not just an ascent of the mind it's not just accepting a form of doctrine or creed real religion has its effect upon a person's way and yea it affects that person in every respect their outlook their daily life life the way they regard the things that

[24:41] God has given them and the use that they may make of these things all this is affected when a person comes into relationship with God and where Jesus Christ is very blessedly the Lord and the Saviour and the Master they find such fine there is as he gives them grace there's a willingness that everything should be at his disposal and for his use and what a very wonderful honour it is bestowed upon a sinner when Jesus makes use of something however small it may be of something that belongs to them

[25:48] I think it's a wonderful account you know this account of how the Lord entered into one of these ships and when we think of the command he gave to Simon we think of the person who gave the command and the authority that was behind the command and we think also of the sovereign knowledge that was possessed by him the Lord Jesus in the choice of the right ship there were two ships you see but it was the one that belonged to Simon why did the Lord choose Simon's ship because he had a great purpose relating to Simon he had something to teach Simon he had something to do in

[26:51] Simon's heart and in his life here was one whom the Lord had chosen as a disciple to follow him as a chosen and a choice person indeed to accompany him in his life and in his ministry and it was into his ship that the Lord Jesus entered he knew which one to enter it was Simon and as I said just now it was a precious thing striking thing that Simon so fully acquiesced in the choice I wonder whether we have always acted in the way that Simon acted if the

[27:54] Lord if the Lord takes if the Lord takes something from us some choice possession from us we are at times rebellious perhaps we go about we strive to resist the loss of that particular possession we never perhaps stop to think does the Lord require it is the Lord's purpose being shown to us in the removing of it I think we have a very wonderful example you know of this in the case of Job when

[28:54] Job saw everything vanishing that he once possessed all that he had gathered up his wealth his possessions and even his own his own flesh and blood when he saw them all go what does he say why should the Lord take these things from me does he say oh cursed be the day that I see this terrible calamity overtake me no he says blessed blessed be the Lord the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord he was therefore willing like Simon was for the

[29:54] Lord to use what he possessed to take possession of them I think when you are willing to the Lord to do with what you have just as he will do with it if you are willing for this I think it's one of the most important features of a real religion I know of one and it affects those here that are present this morning I know one who in a very critical moment of his life gave as it were his own child in great desperate circumstances of illness gave them the child willingly to the

[30:56] Lord that is to say was willing for the Lord to do with the child as he would and how he felt the Lord return the child with the promise of life and blessing many a thing has been accomplished when God's people have been made willing for the Lord to use just as he will for whatever purpose he designs whatever we may have it is as Paul says you know on one occasion what have we that we have not received and if we have received everything from God's goodness then we have no real claim on anything and it's the best thing for us when we can see everything in our possession as belonging primarily to the

[32:05] Lord he entered into one of the ships and you see if he had not entered into one of these ships then this wonderful word that he spoke to Simon would never have been heard or uttered but God the Lord Jesus determined that it should be uttered launch out into the deep when he had left speaking he said unto Simon there's another thing I want us to take note of here also and that is this when he had left speaking to the people when his sermon had come to the end it hadn't it hadn't come the end hadn't come for his dealing with his own people he still had something to say to

[33:13] Simon and what I want to lay stress upon is this you will not only hear things in the sanctuary but I believe what you hear in the sanctuary will follow you and afford you some degree of strength and comfort when you leave perhaps after a few days something that was spoken in the sanctuary will come back to your heart and mind and be a help to you when changing circumstances call for special strength and help that's a wonderful thing for the Lord's people to know this that the ministry of the gospel is not confined to the sanctuary or to the house of prayer alone but such as the poet says such bring such humble souls they bring him when they come and going take him to their home yes after he had done speaking he said unto

[34:43] Simon I think you know it's a wonderful thing in the experiences of children of God that when they have done in the sanctuary worship of the Lord the Lord has still something to say to them through his word in the quietness of their own homes it may be but here in the ship Simon and the Lord alone the Lord speaks to Simon he enters into his ship he takes possession of it he makes use of it there never had been such use made of this little vessel as was being made now with the son of

[35:44] God as the occupant of it when that was built when this whoever built this ship never visualized that the maker of all heaven and earth would be there and who would from the inside of this vessel would proclaim the glorious gospel of his grace no mind on earth could ever contemplate or visualize the wonderful use made of this vessel and who can tell what the Lord may make of you or of your little powers and your perhaps what you count to be very very small and insignificant you say I have but very little strength or wisdom or ability I'm of little use there's nothing for me to do my dear friends the Lord look at this case before us the Lord who entered into a very common ordinary kind of vessel and he couldn't have been very much more than that he made wonderful use of it so may he well make use of your talents your frail abilities and make it to the glory and honour of his name when he had done speaking he said unto

[37:21] Simon launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draft we haven't come very much to the very substance of our text this morning we must hopefully come more into it in the evening of the day of spared may the Lord teach us what we have observed and encourage us to believe that even though we may feel to be very frail and unworthy the Lord may enter in and make use of us for his glory amen tos yeah to it have to be