Good Morning Brothers in Christ,
Isn’t it an awesome day! I’m a victor coming from a victory going to a success. God has ordained, decreed that if I would trust Him and His Word, I would experience the fullness of God’s goodness in my and my family’s life. We are seeing this happen every day and every week. What are you expecting and believing for today?
In the Gospel according to Luke, Chapter 5:1-11, we read the familiar story of Peter and the huge catch of fish he experienced with Jesus. I remember being told this story as a child and then taught lessons from it as an adult. But, there is so much more revelation in these scriptures than I was ever taught. We could spend a couple of hours just mining these particular verses and learning the lessons Jesus was teaching Peter, James, John, and the others with them and the lessons Jesus is teaching us from them as well. For time’s sake, we’re just going to hit two or three points.
My question to you, introspectively, is this: are you using the nets given you by God or are you using your rotten net in this life? Look at Luke 5:4
Luke 5:4
Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon [Peter], Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught [a draw or a sweeping net].
Jesus is instructing Peter to let down his “nets” for a catch.
Luke 5:5
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.
There are several great points in this verse. First, notice they “toiled all the night.” This is Satan’s Babylonian or the world system. If you operate in God’s economy, you don’t toil or struggle nor are you anxious, fearful, or doubtful. You are SURE. And, ultimately, what does the Babylonian system give you in return for your toil – nothing. I know, I get challenged all the time by unsaved and carnal saved Believers. They say, what about all the unsaved that are rich. Thirty minutes with you, and I can show you throughout God’s Word that he uses these people to gather up the riches for the righteous on this earth. God will take all wealth from these people and families and redistribute to His children on earth. There’s a spiritual law called the Law of Vengeance [justice, not revenge] and Recompense [pay back]. It is God’s Law. But, this is another lesson.
Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow [toil, anxiety, struggle, fear, doubt] with it.
Second, notice the name, “Simon.” The scriptures in this story use the name “Simon” until verse 8. There is a spiritual reason for this. Remember, I’ve told you before that every single Word in the Word of God is there for a reason. You have to discover the reason with the tutoring of the Holy Spirit – remember, “Study to show thyself approved unto God….” Turn to John 1:42. What did Jesus “decree or declare” over Simon in this verse? That his name shall be called Peter rather than Simon. Why do you think this is important or significant? Let’s examine:
1. Simon, in Greek, means, “he has heard.”
2. Cephas, in Hebrew, means, “rock.”
3. Peter is Latin for the Hebrew name Cephas.
I won’t go into the great details of this, but the reason Jesus named Simon, Cephas or Peter, is because He was doing what Paul taught us to do in the new Gospel in Romans 4:17 – “call those things that be not as though they were.” What did we learn of Peter the night Christ was being tried before being crucified? He denied Christ three times after vowing just hours earlier he would follow Christ to the very gates of hell. What did Jesus tell Peter earlier that same day? That He, Christ, had prayed for Peter because Satan had come to Jesus and wanted to sift or destroy Peter. Why did Satan want to destroy Peter? Because he knew that what Christ had spoken over Peter, the name change from Simon, “he has heard,” to Cephas, “rock,” would come to pass. Peter, after the restoration by Christ after the denials, became one of the “rocks” of the spread of the Gospel. He even suffered death by being crucified for the Gospel’s sake. Peter went from “hearing” to “standing on the rock of Christ.” Are you “hearing” or “standing” on the Word of God. When you constantly speak God’s Word over your life, over your family’s life, over your business or job, over your and your family’s health, it will become truth to you. You will believe it just as surely as you believed you are saved by Jesus Christ. When this happens, you will have all you say.
Luke 5:8, the scriptures call him Simon Peter. But notice why. He fell at Jesus knees because he had received the revelation from the net busting catch of fish this was the Son of God, the Messiah. He is transitioning from Simon, one who has heard, to the rock, one who stands on the Word of God.
James 1:22
But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
But, this wasn’t Peter’s initial reaction. Let’s look back at it.
Luke 5:5
And Simon answering said unto Him [Jesus], Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy Word I will let down the net.
This verse is so deep. Let’s hit the high points. You study it out. “He has heard,” or Simon is essentially rolling his eyes and using the wisdom of the world, the Babylonian system under which the unsaved and carnal Christians toil, to say in so many words, “you don’t know anything about fishing, we fished all night during the best time to catch fish and caught nothing. Now, you think we are going to be able let down our nets in the heat of the day when the fish are not feeding and are in the deeper, cooler water. That’s just stupid. Nevertheless, because you are a Rabbi or Master, I will give respect to your position and let down one net just to appease you.” Peter not only just drops one net into the water, he drops a rotten net. Why? Because he is not expecting anything to happen. He is relying on the wisdom of this limited world to make his decision of what action he will take. As Believers, we are to “acknowledge God in all our ways, and He will direct our paths [Proverbs 3:6].”
Luke 5:6
And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
Praise God because I’ve seen this happen in my life, and I know, according to God’s Word, it is going to happen day after day. I’m expecting it to do so. Amazing what happens when you listen to the Word of God – Christ. Even more amazing is the blessing Peter missed out on because of his unbelief. You say, but Larry, look at the huge amount of fish he pulled in. Great, but look at the huge amount of fish he missed. Because Peter didn’t believe the Word of God, he let down one, rotten net. Because it is rotten, it breaks. How many fish did he lose with the busted net? Also, he only let down one net. What would have happened if he had let down “nets” as Christ instructed him? When we learn to obey God’s Word, trust in, and stand on it, we will have the harvest Peter could have had if he would have believed and obeyed. We’re called to be a blessing. How can you be the blessing God wants you to be if you let down no nets or only one rotten net because of your lack of knowledge and/or unbelief?
Luke 5:7
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 we learn to stand on the Word and promises of God, completely trust in Him, all those around us, those we touch, will be blessed. We are called in Genesis 12:2-3 to be a blessing. You will be amazed at how you are able to bless others. The heart God has given me over the years is to bless others, whether they are saved or unsaved. One of my goals in the near future is to find a family that God puts on my heart for whatever reason and pay their home off or pay off their hospital bills. Would this be a blessing and a testimony to this family, their extended family members, their neighbors, their workmates, the bank and bankers, the doctors, hospital administrative staff, etc? Absolutely. It is like throwing a pebble into a body of water. The ripples go on for quite some time from the initial pebble hitting the water. As Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”
I’ve already shared with you God has called my wife and I to open an incredible orphanage, Christian school, and church. He’s already shown us the land we’ll start to build it upon. 107.7 acres of beautiful land [God only wants the best] which He said we’re not to call about until He tells us when to call and how much to offer. I can tell you this, when He does tell us, we’ll get it for pennies on the dollar. And this is just the start of what God will call us to do. We’re believing for even greater works [John 14:12]. We want to be a blessing as our Father has commanded us. When God gives you a vision, He’ll provide the provision. This is how we know the businesses we have will be incredibly successful. God said He will use the success of the businesses to fund the orphanage, school, church and other things. The gates of hell cannot prevail against the family, the businesses, or the ministry because Jesus has the keys to hell and death [Revelation 1:18]. We only have to choose to believe, or “let down our nets.”
Genesis 12:2-3
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make they name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
But, we cannot be a blessing until we allow ourselves to be blessed. Jesus was blessing Peter. Peter half heartedly accepted it. Peter could have had one other reaction. He could have told Jesus, “there is no way we are going to go out and fish in the heat of the day. Any good fisherman knows you can’t catch fish in the heat of the day. We fished all night, at the best time to catch fish, and we caught nothing. We are tired, we are hungry, and we’re going home so we can be back to fish tonight.” Peter would then have completely missed out on any part of the blessing.
You see, Jesus Christ didn’t come just to give you forgiveness of sins and eternal life. This is what religion teaches us. Christ came to give you SO MUCH MORE – NOW IN THIS LIFE! Healing, deliverance, protection, and prosperity. These are all part of “salvation.” Why don’t you look up “salvation” and “grace” in the Hebrew and study it. Learn how blessed you really are. God wants so badly to have you believe His Word so He can bless you and you can be a blessing to others. We’re to be “doers of the Word.” What is the Word? To bless others. How do you bless others? Financially, encouragement, prayer, teaching, sharing the Gospel with them, etc. But it’s largely financially. That’s why over 2500 verses in the Bible address finances. It is the number one weapon of Satan against the unsaved and the carnal Believer. But, this is another email and another lesson.
Satan uses religion to deceive and bound us. He wants to keep us, as Believers, inside boundaries he has established to keep us from being fruitful in God’s Word. But, as Christ said in John 17:14, “we are not of this world, even as He is not of this world.” Could Satan place boundaries around Jesus? No. Why not? Because Jesus broke them down with God’s Word and His belief in the Word of His Father. How did Jesus withstand Satan in the three temptations? He always decreed His Father’s Word, “It is written….”
In closing, which fisherman are you: walk away and reject the truth of God’s Word; cherry pick what you believe in God’s Word; or wholly and fully accept the entire Word of God as truth and act in accordance with it? Are you a “Simon” or a “Cephas?” My prayer for each of you is that you let down all of your nets in faith and receive the awesome blessings of the Lord God Almighty through Jesus Christ our Lord and King.
Blessings to all,
Larry