“AT THY WORD...”

TEXT: LUKE 5:1-9

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, 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.

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

-         The Word of God works

-         All we need to triumph in life is contained in God’s WORD

-         To neglect God’s WORD is to drown in the storms of life

The fishermen at the Sea of Galilee that day were washing their nets after a fruitless night’s work. Jesus arrived, and because of the press of the crowd, asked Simon to let Him use his boat to push out a little way while He taught. Then, when Jesus finished speaking, He said to Simon (v.4), “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” Simon’s despair was evident, as he stated the facts: “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing.” But then Simon put his faith in the Lord: “Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” The result? “They inclosed a great multitude of fishes” (v.6).

Much later in Acts 10, Simon Peter, transformed by the Holy Spirit, saw a vision and heard God’s voice commanding him to kill and eat “common and unclean” animals. This led him to accept an invitation to the house of Cornelius, the Gentile. “Nevertheless at thy word,” must have been on his heart as he “let down the net” to Cornelius.

Also in  Matt. 14:24-31, the same Peter had another encounter with God's WORD.

But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Peter did not walk on water; he walked on the “WORD” – Come.

It is no wonder that one of the most beautiful passages regarding the word of God is found in Peter’s first epistle: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (I Peter 1:23–25).

There may be times in our own lives when we are tempted to regard so-called facts and traditions above the word of God. Our response, without hesitation, should be “Master . . . nevertheless at thy word I will. . . . ”

-         Stop looking at your mess, start looking at the answers in God’s Word.

Characteristics of the Word of GOD

·        The Word of God is powerful Heb. 4:12

The Word of God is so potent, it can deliver anything – Isa. 55:10-11

·        The Word of God is prophetic Ezek. 37:1-10

-         Even dry bones hear God’s Word

-         The prophetic Word is a quickening Word – Lazarus raised from the dead (John 11:38-44)

-         The prophetic Word brings out life out of death – Widow’s son back to life by the quickening WORD (Luke 7:13-16)

·        The Word of God is creative Genesis 1:1-3, 31

-         If your case is not repairable, it is replaceable

-         God’s Word carries creative capabilities.

-         Mary conceived by the Word – Luke 1:28-38

·        The Word of God is illuminative Ps 119:130, John 1:5

-         Nothing shatters the power of darkness like light

·        The Word of God is curative i.e. medicinal Prov 4:20-22

-         Anytime God’s Word is released, healing accompanies it – Ps 107:20

-         Centurion servant healed by the WORD – Matt. 8:5-13

·        The Word of God is surgical Genesis 2:21-22; Heb. 4:12b

How do we get blessed (profit) in God’s Word?

a)     Have a relationship with God – John 1:1-3

Until you know the living WORD, you can’t benefit from the written word.

b)    Have faith – Heb. 4:2

-         Faith is committing the integrity of GOD to perform

-         Never doubt the ability of HIS Word

-         We often fail because we do not trust Him!

c)     Release your heart – Luke 3:3 Peter released his boat to give way for the WORD to come in

d)    Obey HIS WORD – Luke 5:5, 1:38

-         Just do it, act on it, don’t ask questions

-         Learn to develop the same mindset that Peter displayed. It is a mindset that does what the Lord says, regardless of how we feel about it on a personal level.

-         What made the difference? Obedience to Jesus, even when Peter did not want to do what the Lord asked him to do!

-         There are times when the Lord asks us to do certain things that we may not want to do, however, we must come to the same place Peter came. We need to decide that regardless of how we feel about a certain matter, if the Lord has commanded it, then we will do it!

-         There are many areas of our lives where the Lord requires obedience from His children. Often, we do not want to surrender in these areas, but if we are going to be right with the Lord, then we have to do what Peter did and let down our nets. If we want the blessing of God, then we must do the will of God!

-         Because obedience ruled the day, they witnessed the immediate reward of a vast catch of fish.

CONCLUSION:

When the Lord told Peter to let down his net, he didn't want to. However, he did want the Lord said to do in spite of his own wants and wishes. The results were far better than he could have ever imagined!

Friends, the same blessings wait for you if you will do what Peter did. Jesus has spoken in His Word! Now, I ask you, will you let down your nets at the Word of the Lord?

As Christians, we trust God anyway. Where God is taking us, the Devil doesn't want us to go. The Devil wants us to think it's over, but it's not over until God says it's over! For it is written:

- "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" - (Numbers 23:19)

- "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." - (Isaiah 55:11)

- "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever." - (Psalm 119:160)

When you're waiting on God, you don't pay attention to what other people say, you don't care what it looks like or what it feels like.

The protocol has changed... the rules are different now. It's a walk according to the WORD!

God wants you to have a nevertheless mentality. Do as Simon did... look at your current problem, issue, adversity, financial situation, and say..."NEVERTHELESS!"

Before you make your move, listen to what God has to say to you. No matter what your past may be, get into position, and stand firmly on God's Word. Break loose, walk by faith, hold on, and trust God!

-         God’s Word is the carrier of God’s power

Why do we face Challenges?

James 1:12-16

The challenges you face, the growth experiences you encounter, are intended to be temporary scenes played out on the stage of a life of continuing peace and happiness.

Sadness, heartache, and disappointments are events in life. It is not intended that they be the substance of life. I do not minimize how hard some of these events can be.

When the lesson you are to learn is very important, trials can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining focus of everything you do. Your life can and should be wondrously rewarding.

It is your understanding and application of the laws of God that will give your life glorious purpose as you ascend and conquer the difficulties of life. That perspective keeps challenges confined to their proper place—stepping-stones to further growth and attainment.

Sometimes the Lord allows bad things to happen to us and other times he performs miracles. Our understanding of our personal part in God's eternal Plan of Salvation is limited, but his knowledge and plan for each of us is perfect. During times of tragedy we can choose to have faith and praise God, even though we had hoped for (or expected) a miracle.

Trials do not make us humble; our attitude toward them does. If we choose not to be humble we will only draw further away from our Savior. At times we may feel that our trials would be easier or our temptations would be less if the Lord would bless us with heavenly miracles or signs and wonders.

"Seeing an angel would be a great experience, but it is far greater to come to a knowledge of the divinity of the Savior through faith and the witness of the Spirit"

Although life is full of struggles, trials, and temptations, we are not alone. We can turn to our Heavenly Father, Jesus, the scriptures, our family and friends, and other resources such as books, church/community leaders, and online information for help.

To overcome trials and temptations we must recognize our weaknesses and take full responsibility for our actions:

"When we place blame for our actions on others, or circumstances that we find ourselves in, we can never gain the strength to change. Some have a tendency to rationalize their behavior or to make excuses."

No one is above temptation. One of Satan's many tools is to deceive us into believing that we are safe- strong enough to withstand temptation on our own.

"One of the great myths in life is when men think they are invincible. Too many think that they are men of steel, strong enough to withstand any temptation. They delude themselves into thinking, 'It cannot happen to me....' Some people think their age and experience make them better able to withstand temptation, this is false.

On a final note;

Challenges are situations we go through in order to make us better people/Christians. Challenges/Trials are examinations to test whether we understand our present levels. Adversity is another way to measure the greatness of individuals. I never had a crisis that didn't make me stronger. Challenges are not to make us bitter but to make us better.

Understanding Grace (Part 2)

SIMPLY AMAZING!

2 Cor. 10: 9-10 (GNB) But his answer was: "My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak." I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me. I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Rom.5:20 (AMP)…But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God's unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and super abounded...

Grace is the ‘unmerited’, ‘unearned’ and 'undeserved' favour of God. It is the gift of God to us when we accepted Christ as our Lord. The operation of the grace of God keeps us wondering. It is simply amazing!

Let’s look at the operation of Grace from three standpoints:

1 .The Grace of God makes up for our sins:

Grace made God accept us in spite of all our sins when we received Christ. The same Grace still makes up for all our trespasses up until now. Whenever we miss it and turn to God for forgiveness, Grace reconciles us with God, catches up with us right from where we stopped and keeps propelling us forward towards God's purpose for our lives as if nothing happened! The operation of the grace of God is simply incredible!

2. The Grace of God makes up for our inadequacies:

Apart from making up for our trespasses, the Grace of God also makes up for our weaknesses, infirmities and inadequacies; and above that, Grace pushes us forward as if our inadequacies don't even exist! In fact, Grace mostly makes us perform much better than we would have if the frailty were not there!

That is why the apostle said in our scripture for today, "…when I'm weak, then I'm strong! "

The word of God also says, "… where sin abounds grace surpassed it and increased the more and super abounded".

Like wise, where infirmities, weaknesses and inadequacies abound, grace also overtakes them, surpasses them and increased the more and super abounds!

As we’ve seen, it’s the grace of God that makes His ‘weakness’ stronger than man!

Where natural ability ends…

Judges 6:13-17 (KJV) And Gideon said unto him… if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us... And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found GRACE in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.

1Cor. 15:9-10 (KJV) For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the GRACE of God I am what I am: and his GRACE which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the GRACE of God which was with me.

Is there anyone who has a seemingly insurmountable task- a larger than life obligation to deliver but can't find the strength or ability required?

There are times in life when we feel so incompetent and unfit to give our deliverables at home, at work, in church or in our communities. We feel so ill-equipped to do what we must necessarily do, or what we believe God would have us do.

That is the time we need to draw Grace from God and this leads to the third point on the operations of Grace.

3. The Grace of God gives Ability:

Gideon was from the weakest and poorest clan in Israel. Moreover, he was the least recognized and most despised member of his family. The task before Him was enormous and judging from his physical circumstances, there was no way he would have accomplished it.

When he found and touched the GRACE of God however, He did not only defeat the Midianites, he conquered them quite easily- smiting them as just one man!

Similarly, the Apostle Paul was the least of all the apostles. He never met Jesus in person, never interacted with Him, never sat under His earthly ministration. Moreover, He had a terribly bad record of being a persecutor and murderer of those who knew the Lord.

Yet when he got to know the Lord, and got in contact with His Grace, he outperformed all the remaining apostles combined, authored about two thirds of the epistles and evangelized the entire world as it were.

This is why the grace of God is often referred to as 'Divine Enablement'. The grace of God enables. It gives ability beyond our age, experience or exposure- ability beyond our human ability or comprehension!

Have you said ‘NO’ to your boss, mentor, spouse, kids, or even God, due to inability recently? Please receive Grace and Divine Enablement today and go back to take up that same challenge. And His divine ability will overtake your human (in)ability and put you over cheaply in Jesus name.

Please remember that the Grace of God is an overflow of God's abundance just because He is God. Grace is not something we have to ‘qualify’ for. It is very free and available to as many as will receive. Just because He's God. It's ours to receive- ours for the asking.

Have you missed God lately? Then it’s time to return to Him for forgiveness and receive Grace to carry on.

Are you weak or weary? Do you have infirmities or inadequacies? Now is the time to turn to God for the grace to carry on in spite of your frailty.

It is freely yours today for the asking!

Understanding Grace

I often hear this type of question from people who misunderstand election: 

“Are you a robot, running around doing whatever God preprogrammed you to do?” 

This is a fair and constant question. I hear it all the time.  Here is my answer.

In issues pertaining life and death, would to God that I would be such a faithful and obedient servant! Even as a robot!

Would to God that I would merely move to the motions He makes! I would rather respond only to the prompts of His program!

Would to God that His thoughts were my thoughts, without the pollution of the human reasoning!

I would give my last breath just to be a sheer representation of His Sovereign Will and His perfect government!

I’d rather be in His constant and perfect control than to trust my own heart!

 Why?

 Jeremiah 17: 9 the heart is deceitful above ALL things, and desperately wicked: who can know it! 

 Psalm 14:3 There is no one that doeth good, no not one, (Romans 3:10)

All my inclinations would be evil if it would be not for the Sovereign and Glorious interventions of God my savior! 

Proverbs 3:5 Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. 

(6) In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths, (equivalent to “He will do everything for you because you are incapable of doing it”).

That’s the kind of God I want to serve. A God that knows that I am helpless and then helps me. Not a confused and contradictory “god” who says that you are helpless without him and at the same time tells you to help yourself having faith first! Such would be a “god” of dis-grace rather than the GOD OF GRACE!

I serve a God who takes the initiative and the “finish-ative”: Philippians 1:6 “ He began a good work and is able to finish it”:

 Also…

Exodus 3:7 I’ve seen the affliction… I heard their cry… I know their sorrows… So I WILL 

COME DOWN TO BRING THEM UP!

Same thing in– “you were dead but I made you alive”. “Salvation is NOT OF YOURSELVES. It is a gift of God!” Ephesians 2.

The God I serve is a God of plan and design. He sent Jesus to die for me, undeservingly, one of the elect. And that was a plan, not a chancy, whimsical thing that He did in the spur of the moment. He did not save me because I sang three verses of  “Just as I am”. He did not save me because I prayed “the sinners prayer” (is there any other kind?). He saved me because of Himself. He saved me and saved the elect because of His Name! He chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world “according to the pleasure of His will” and not the frivolity of mine! (Ephesians 1 – 2 Tim 1: 9). And then to crown His plan with His Glory, He gave me the Holy Spirit as an “earnest” (Ephesians 1), meaning, “a down payment”, a “guarantee of a safe delivery” and a “seal of ownership” which the word “earnest” meant when Paul wrote Ephesians. I’ve been paid for, sent to the shipping department with the necessary stamp (His blood), and all will know WHOSE I am! (What a nice three point sermon!)

He “predestined me", "called me", "justified me" (that means I am just if I’d never sinned) and also "glorified me"! All before I was even born, because He called me according to His purpose, and not mine! (Romans 8: 26-30)

I am the one who sees the assembly line. God already knows the finished product! Praise His name forever!

1 Corinthians 2:16: This is in no way to admit that the elect is a robot in God’s hands. When God saves by Grace the elect, God gives him HIS MIND. We now have the mind of Christ. Now all our passions, desires, emotions and everything with our being is reprogrammed, to use the term of our questioner, to DO THE WILL OF GOD in the same manner, intensity and speed that Christ did His will. This is glorious. To say that the elect believes that he is a robot, without feelings is to say that Christ is a robot today in heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father (oh the mystery of a triune God!) doing the Father’s will, forever and ever doing the Father’s will! I believe that the Apostle is not talking about the mind of Jesus before the resurrection alone. He is also speaking about the Glorified Christ, seated at the right hand of the Father, eternally reigning according to the Father’s great design.

 
We should be perpetually grateful to our God for having given us the mind of Christ, so now we can, as the saved elect, reflect His will with pleasure and in a way that honors the Father’s name! Perhaps that’s what the Apostle meant when he declared “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”. Let us rejoice in the fact that God has fixed our depraved nature, made us new creatures and gave us the mind of Christ, so now, we no longer live, but He lives in us.


That's the Grace of God!