I Will Follow: The Reason

The Purpose of The Series (Luke Ch. 5)

·      To see the character of God. To learn to follow.

Context of Ch. 5:

·      Jesus has demonstrated authority in teaching and ministry

·      Jesus continues to gather people to Him

·      Jesus spent 40 days in the desert at the directing of God

Chapter 5 opens with specific calls to specific people. It begins long section to the end of Ch. 7 about Savior’s call for faithfulness in following

 The most important piece of context. Chapter 4 ends with Jesus saying He was sent to preach the Kingdom of God. Everything we read then must be understood as an explanation of the Kingdom of God.

Sermon: Read through chapter 5:1-11 before continuing 

1.     Character of God (v.1-3)

a.     Allows Himself to be pushed back. He gives way to the needs of the crowd

                       i.     we like to make boundaries and keep people in their “proper” place

b.     Enters a fishing boat

i.     imagine who God is. His majesty and glory. He sits down on a rocking boat surrounded by a few people who don’t recognize Him to preach the Kingdom of God. We see the Kingdom of God on a small fishing boat in the middle of nowhere.

c.     Application: The Kingdom of God is wherever we go. If we are to follow God, then in the supermarket (everywhere), we must preach the kingdom of God. No place is too small or insignificant

2.     Peter Pushes Back/Yet Accepts (v. 4-5)

a.     Willing to let the boat be used as a pulpit, but not for his work

 i.     For Peter, it was ridiculous that this traveling teacher should tell him how to do his job. Peter was master of his boat when it came to fishing.

1.     we section off our lives in a similar manner. God can have authority in some things, but not in what we are experts in. not where we are the master.

b.     But I will do….

i.     Word of God takes precedence over previous knowledge and experience

ii.     Sometimes God works for us when we have no faith and sometimes God expects us to act when we have no faith…in order to give us faith.

3.     Peter Reacts to Man Behind Miracle (v. 8-10)

a.     Recognizes holiness of God and reacts as Daniel and Isaiah did

b.     Peter has seen miracles before but did not recognize God for who He was

i.     in ch. 4 Jesus heals his mother-in-law

ii.     Peter was master of his boat and realized it was not enough

c.     Crowd saw the miracle, Pharisees saw the miracles

i.     but they saw the fish. they saw the wealth that was in the catch

1.     Peter saw Jesus as Holy God

d.     It takes the height of success to see the emptiness of it in light of who God is

i.     greatest catch of peter’s life, but he will leave it all because of who God is

The reason Peter followed Jesus was not because of the wealth that Jesus could provide, but because of the holiness of His character.

If we follow for anything less than who God is, we will eventually fall away. Hard times will come and nothing will be there to sustain us.

 Peter knew the reason for following God….

            What is your reason?