“Gone Fishing!
Sermon
on
John
21:3
Share
This
In John
21:3 we
discover that the disciples embarked on a fishing trip. Simon
Peter told his partners, "I'm going fishing." The
disciples chimed in and said "we're going too!" So
the disciples posted their "gone fishing" sign on the
upper room door and headed out to the lake. Maybe the pecan
trees were not budding, the worms were not falling from the
willow trees, or the water was too high because verse
3 tell us this fishing trip was a dud — "that night
they caught nothing.
It
wasn't that the disciples had not tried to catch fish. They
toiled all night. It wasn't that the disciples did not have the
right equipment. They had the best tackle. It wasn't even the
time of day that was the problem. It takes more than toiling,
more than tackle, and more than time. If you are fishing in the
wrong place none of that matters.
Fishing
or "Wetting a Line"
Without
the presence of fish the disciples were simply "wetting a
line." There are really two kinds of fisherman. Some fish
to catch fish. They are not satisfied unless the ice chest is
full at the end of the day. Anything less is almost considered
a failure. Then there are those who are recreational fishermen.
They are more interested in the experience than they are
catching fish. They are satisfied with just getting out for the
day and "wetting a line." If they catch a few fish
that's fine but if they don't, they still enjoy the trip.
What
may be enjoyable as a recreational pastime is deadly from a
spiritual perspective. The church (followers of Jesus) is
called to be "fishers of men," yet often we may just
be "wetting a line." We may have little concern if we
have the right approach. We may have little concern if we are
fishing in the right place. Worst of all, we may have little
concern if we catch any fish!
What's
in Your Ice Chest?
Could
it be that maybe one reason some folks aren't to quick to see
too many people coming into the church is the same reason some
of us don't care if we catch too many fish at the lake? Fish
are messy! If I catch a mess I have a mess to clean when I get
home. It's much easier to just "wet my line" and sit
a spell under the cypress tree, eat my sandwich and twinkie,
and sip on my Bargs Root Beer. It doesn't take much effort to
fish and not catch anything. But it does take some effort to
fish like you really want to fill your ice chest.
The
question for us is what kind of "fishers of men" are
we? Are we content to practice casting our weighted line in the
backyard? Or are we truly after some fish and will do whatever
it takes to catch some? Of course it's easier to just "wet
a line" and say we're fishing, and so the church today has
mastered the art of fishing without ever really catching much.
Instead of fishing for men and women we often busy ourselves by
attending fishing seminars, telling fish stories, or fixing up
the fishing camp (the church house), contented with the thought
that because our tree appears green we must be fruitful, even
though the evidence suggests otherwise. It has been a well
publicized statistic in my denomination that 70% of our
churches are plateaued or declining. This begs the question,
"Are we truly fishing or just wetting a line?" In
many instances, our fishing today consists mainly of fishing
for children of church members in the safe church pond or
transferring fish from one church ice chest to another one down
the street. Few churches are impacting the pagan pool and
reaching their God — given potential!
Fishing
in the Wrong Pond
And
then sometimes we do fish earnestly, as the disciples, but we
are simply fishing in the wrong place. We are toiling and
catching nothing. Our nets are being thrown out but they are
coming up empty. Why? We may be fishing in the wrong place. The
disciples didn't see the school of fish all around them until
Jesus guided them. The truth is that we can toil but if we are
not fishing in the right place our nets will continue to come
up empty.
The
problem is not declining fish stocks. The problem is that we do
not see the fish and go after them with the right bait. It
takes three things to be successful fisherman and likewise
fishers of men. It takes knowledge of where the fish are. It
takes the right bait. It takes time — translated patience.
Healthy and growing churches that are penetrating a lost world
are churches that are sensitive to the needs of people around
them and they are leaving their comfort zone and traditions to
reach people. You've probably heard of John Ortberg's book, If
You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat. I
suggest that the church may need to get out of the boat that
has been stuck on a spiritual sandbar for too long in order to
wade out into the waters where the fish are schooling. Then we
will cast our nets and bring in a great catch that will be
nothing short of miraculous!
In John
20:4 we are told that Jesus called out to the disciples
and asked them essentially this question, "have you caught
any fish?" At least the disciples were honest fisherman.
This was one fish story that was true. They had not caught
anything! The Lord is asking us the same question. Church,
"how's your fishing?" This is the measure of the
faithfulness of the church. Not our inspiring buildings, or our
impressive budgets, or our impassioned boastings. But our
fishing! How many souls have we caught? How many disciples of
Christ are we making? And we need to be painfully honest about
the success or failure of our fishing trips.
The
Fish Are Biting
Jesus
guided the disciples to where the fish were located. With His
eyes they could see the fish schooling. He will do the same for
us. If we will look with Jesus' eyes we will see the people who
are in need all around us. Jesus says to us, "I tell you,
open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for
harvest" (John 4:35). Fishing is a bit like farming. You
see results in proportion to the work that you put into the
endeavor. This principle of sowing and reaping is variously
stated and illustrated in Scripture. Paul expressed this
principle clearly in 2 Corinthians 9:6, "Whoever sows
sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously
will also reap generously."
I
have a friend who is an avid fisherman. I am always impressed
and sometimes envious of his great catches. "Why do I not
have similar results?" I think. Then, I remind myself that
if I fished as often and as passionately as my friend, I would
obviously catch more fish. It's hard to be a successful
fisherman when you're boat serves more time as a leaf bin and
when you're fishing consists of one or two outings a year!
When
the disciples followed Jesus' instructions (John 20:6) they
caught so many fish that the net could not be brought in. This
great catch of fish gave the disciples a foretaste of what God
was going to do through them as "fishers of men."
Just imagine the possibilities of what God could do for us if
we will faithfully follow Him!
As
Christians we are to cast repeatedly our nets into the world
and expect a catch. Our nets will be varied because it takes
different baits to catch different fish. We can't always use
the same methods of catching fish that have always worked. If
worms are not doing the trick you try crickets. God did not
call us to just "wet a line." He called us to catch
men. We must do whatever it takes to reach people because the
devil and the world sure is! Consider this. We fish for men to
save men. In a sense we really are catch and release fisherman.
The devil fishes for men to fry them, to condemn them for
eternity. We catch them so that God can release them from sin
and bondage. Are you ready to go do some fishing? Grab your
pole. Get your tackle ready. Set some priority time aside.
Follow Jesus to the river bank and expect a great catch! "Come,
follow me, . . . and I will make you fishers of men"
(Matt. 4:19).”
|
