WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:08.339 Good morning, everyone. Again, my name is Kevin. I'm one of the pastors here. It is great to be worshiping with morning. 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:15.500 I don't know about you, but it's already felt like an amazing worship service. I love when the band does the singing refrains. 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:21.719 I feel like maybe I don't need to preach this morning, but actually I do think the Lord has something to say to us still. 00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:30.359 One of the things that I like to do as I preach, before I preach, is to give us a moment of silence. 00:00:30.659 --> 00:00:36.359 I don't know what you're coming in with this morning. I don't know how you slept last night. I didn't sleep terribly well. 00:00:37.179 --> 00:00:44.480 Maybe you had a really hard week. Maybe you're distracted with loads of things from the past week or what you have to do this upcoming week. 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:53.699 So I want to give us a moment of silence to put those things to rest for a moment to prepare our hearts and our minds to receive from the Lord. 00:00:54.099 --> 00:00:55.439 So let's take a moment of silence together. 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:24.820 Lord, you are an amazing God that is worthy to be worshiped. 00:01:25.980 --> 00:01:27.640 Thank you that you speak to us. 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:30.820 Pray that you would speak to us even now. 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:34.080 We ask that you would speak for your servants who are listening. 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:36.600 We pray these things in Christ's name. Amen. 00:01:36.599 --> 00:01:44.599 Now, one of my favorite things to do is to witness masters doing their thing. 00:01:45.500 --> 00:01:48.239 Masters are people who are at the top of their field. 00:01:48.919 --> 00:01:55.019 They're the people who make amazing supernatural feats look like the most natural thing in the world. 00:01:55.119 --> 00:01:57.879 They make a four-minute mile look like a walk in the park. 00:01:57.879 --> 00:02:06.799 And we know that behind these superhuman acts, there are thousands of hours of practice, 10,000 hours if you ask Malcolm Gladwell, 00:02:07.619 --> 00:02:14.819 of putting in the unsexy work, of grinding it out on scales and drills and rehearsals, 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:19.060 all aimed at mastering themselves and mastering their craft. 00:02:19.659 --> 00:02:25.300 There are so many sacrifices, so many deaths devoted to bringing something truly amazing to life. 00:02:25.300 --> 00:02:28.340 Maybe it's a song. Maybe it's a book. 00:02:28.820 --> 00:02:31.439 Maybe it's an idea. Maybe it's the perfect shot. 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:37.340 Some of my favorite people, some of the masters that I look up to and am inspired by, 00:02:38.300 --> 00:02:42.960 that I've gotten to see personally, are Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach on cello, 00:02:43.420 --> 00:02:47.900 or Marilynne Robinson, my favorite novelist, giving a lecture on beauty and grace, 00:02:48.540 --> 00:02:54.320 or Kevin Garnett, my favorite basketball player of all time, competing on the basketball court. 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:56.379 These were all profound experiences. 00:02:57.340 --> 00:02:58.060 They were powerful. 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:02.099 Seeing them called me to something beyond myself. 00:03:02.180 --> 00:03:05.019 I don't know if you've ever experienced something like this. 00:03:05.539 --> 00:03:06.459 It's hard to describe. 00:03:06.620 --> 00:03:11.599 Describing it is a bit like telling somebody what it feels like to fall in love. 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:15.299 But a theologian by the name of Hans Urs von Balthasar, 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:19.219 a 20th century theologian, he puts it this way. 00:03:19.219 --> 00:03:21.500 He gives great words to describe this. 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:21.900 He says, 00:03:21.900 --> 00:03:27.259 When a person is truly struck by something, something truly significant, 00:03:28.139 --> 00:03:31.780 an arrow pierces his heart at his most personal level, 00:03:32.579 --> 00:03:35.280 the issue is one that concerns him. 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:38.759 You must change your life. 00:03:39.259 --> 00:03:44.180 You must henceforth live in response to this unique and genuine revelation. 00:03:44.180 --> 00:03:48.879 The man to whom this has happened is marked for life. 00:03:49.700 --> 00:03:53.400 He has trodden holy ground that is in the world but not of it. 00:03:53.819 --> 00:03:57.560 He cannot return to the purely worldly world. 00:03:58.420 --> 00:04:02.200 He bears the brand mark of his encounter with beauty. 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:05.000 An encounter like this is transformative. 00:04:05.879 --> 00:04:06.840 It pierces you. 00:04:06.939 --> 00:04:07.520 It burns you. 00:04:07.600 --> 00:04:09.939 It leaves a mark, a kind of holy wound. 00:04:09.939 --> 00:04:12.219 And it requires something of you. 00:04:12.300 --> 00:04:13.939 It calls you to something more. 00:04:15.460 --> 00:04:17.259 With this kind of encounter in mind, 00:04:17.339 --> 00:04:20.160 I want to look at the interaction between Jesus and Peter 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:22.600 that we just read together in Luke chapter 5. 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:26.899 Here we see Peter encounters Jesus, the master, 00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:29.839 and it begins to change everything for him. 00:04:30.659 --> 00:04:32.459 And so this morning, with our time together, 00:04:32.459 --> 00:04:34.620 we're going to explore one question, a simple one. 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:37.620 What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? 00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:40.500 And we'll see that it means four things. 00:04:40.899 --> 00:04:42.540 It means that we're chosen by Jesus, 00:04:42.899 --> 00:04:44.840 that we're confronted by Jesus, 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:47.399 that we're commissioned by Jesus, 00:04:47.399 --> 00:04:50.600 and then we are committed to Jesus. 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:55.699 So those four things, chosen, confronted, commissioned, and committed. 00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:01.939 Now last week, Pastor Dan walked us through the latter half of chapter 4 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:02.959 in the Gospel of Luke. 00:05:03.019 --> 00:05:04.000 It was an amazing sermon. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:07.519 We saw the power and the authority of Jesus' words, 00:05:07.899 --> 00:05:11.720 and we saw Jesus' heartbreaking compassion for those who are suffering. 00:05:12.680 --> 00:05:14.620 The news about Jesus was spreading. 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:19.860 His ministry was no longer contained to the cramped walls of the synagogue, 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:22.639 but it spilled out into Simon Peter's house, 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:23.800 and then into the countryside. 00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:26.899 Jesus is like an artist who's been discovered. 00:05:27.579 --> 00:05:28.920 He was playing in smaller venues, 00:05:29.019 --> 00:05:30.060 but now he needs a stadium. 00:05:30.060 --> 00:05:33.839 And this is where our story picks up in chapter 5. 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:37.899 We find Jesus standing along the lake of Gennesaret, 00:05:38.019 --> 00:05:39.720 just another name for the Sea of Galilee, 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:42.899 just to the southwest of Capernaum where he was formerly. 00:05:43.660 --> 00:05:47.040 And there was a crowd of people pressing in on him to hear the word of God. 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:50.379 Jesus has a following now, but he also has a problem. 00:05:50.939 --> 00:05:52.800 The people are clamoring to hear him teach. 00:05:52.939 --> 00:05:54.579 They're clamoring to hear his words, 00:05:54.740 --> 00:05:57.240 but the crowd was too large and his voice couldn't carry. 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:00.699 And so he hops into a boat, goes out into the water, 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:02.040 and turns around and teaches them. 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:05.259 He converts this small cove into a natural amphitheater 00:06:05.259 --> 00:06:06.660 where his voice would carry, 00:06:06.780 --> 00:06:08.280 and everyone could hear what he had to say. 00:06:09.060 --> 00:06:10.699 And as all of this is happening, 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:13.980 we begin to see the very first aspect of discipleship, 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:16.100 to be chosen by Jesus. 00:06:16.220 --> 00:06:17.340 We see this in verse 2. 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:20.519 It's a very small detail, but it's an important detail. 00:06:21.220 --> 00:06:24.540 There are two boats by the lake. 00:06:24.540 --> 00:06:26.660 When you see something like this, 00:06:27.280 --> 00:06:28.160 it's good to ask, 00:06:28.600 --> 00:06:30.620 why does it mention that there are two boats? 00:06:31.060 --> 00:06:33.840 Well, first I think it is clear that there are two boats 00:06:33.840 --> 00:06:36.080 to foreshadow the miracle that is about to happen. 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:38.280 There are going to catch so many fish 00:06:38.280 --> 00:06:40.000 that they need two boats to haul them in. 00:06:41.780 --> 00:06:44.680 But there's another reason why the two boats are listed. 00:06:44.780 --> 00:06:48.540 I think it's to show that Jesus chooses Peter's boat 00:06:48.540 --> 00:06:49.780 and not the other boat. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:53.600 It's not an accident that Jesus happened to get into Peter's boat. 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:56.180 You see, Jesus already knew Peter. 00:06:56.840 --> 00:06:59.700 We saw in chapter 4 that he was in Simon Peter's house, 00:06:59.960 --> 00:07:02.300 and he healed Simon's mother-in-law. 00:07:02.780 --> 00:07:03.879 And then he stays at the house, 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:06.140 and people bring all the sick, 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:08.060 the demon-possessed, to Peter's house. 00:07:08.340 --> 00:07:10.100 And this becomes the staging ground 00:07:10.100 --> 00:07:12.860 for an all-night-long healing vigil 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:15.840 in verse 40 of chapter 4. 00:07:16.620 --> 00:07:17.620 So Jesus knows Peter, 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:18.620 and he sees the two boats, 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:20.860 and he sees Peter over there washing his nets, 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:22.180 and he calls Peter, 00:07:22.900 --> 00:07:24.280 and he gets into Peter's boat, 00:07:24.379 --> 00:07:25.620 chooses Peter and his boat, 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:28.600 and Peter hops in and steers the boat out for Jesus. 00:07:29.620 --> 00:07:31.939 Now, why did Jesus pick Peter? 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:36.720 I think he must have noticed something special about Peter. 00:07:37.180 --> 00:07:39.540 Maybe it was that Peter was a natural leader. 00:07:40.100 --> 00:07:41.879 Maybe he saw that he was a man of conviction, 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:42.980 a man of passion. 00:07:42.980 --> 00:07:46.200 The story doesn't give us those details. 00:07:47.580 --> 00:07:49.620 Surely Jesus loved Peter, 00:07:49.900 --> 00:07:53.140 but I don't think he picked Peter because he was perfect. 00:07:53.740 --> 00:07:55.040 Just keep reading the Gospels. 00:07:55.480 --> 00:07:57.680 You'll see how imperfect Peter was. 00:07:58.180 --> 00:08:00.879 I think he picked Peter because Peter had potential. 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:03.180 He was a sturdy block of marble 00:08:03.180 --> 00:08:06.520 from which Jesus could chisel a glorious statue. 00:08:07.280 --> 00:08:09.340 And so it is with all of his disciples. 00:08:09.339 --> 00:08:12.939 Now, as we talk about being chosen, 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:15.219 also the language of election, 00:08:15.339 --> 00:08:16.659 this can be a controversial topic, 00:08:16.799 --> 00:08:20.699 and so I want to address a couple common misunderstandings 00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:23.179 when people talk about being chosen by God. 00:08:23.919 --> 00:08:25.179 The first thing I want to address, 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:26.419 or the first thing I want to say, 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:29.699 is that Jesus does not choose his disciples 00:08:29.699 --> 00:08:31.899 because they're so great. 00:08:32.319 --> 00:08:34.439 Jesus doesn't choose us because we are great. 00:08:34.740 --> 00:08:37.100 We see this pattern in the Old Testament 00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:38.079 in Deuteronomy 7 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:41.080 when God is explaining to Israel why he chose them, 00:08:41.740 --> 00:08:45.060 lest they have a sense of mere moral superiority. 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:47.460 Jesus says, or the Lord says to Israel, 00:08:47.980 --> 00:08:50.300 it wasn't because you're so strong and powerful 00:08:50.300 --> 00:08:50.980 that I chose you. 00:08:51.060 --> 00:08:52.600 Actually, you are the fewest in number. 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:54.020 I chose you, Israel, 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:55.980 because you are weak and vulnerable, 00:08:56.100 --> 00:08:57.639 and I want to do something great with you. 00:08:58.520 --> 00:09:01.000 We see this in the New Testament, 00:09:01.139 --> 00:09:04.500 the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth. 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:05.240 He says this, 00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:07.879 For consider your calling, brothers and sisters. 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:12.000 Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards. 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:13.860 Not many were powerful. 00:09:14.659 --> 00:09:16.399 Not many were of noble birth. 00:09:17.159 --> 00:09:19.980 But God chose what is foolish in the world 00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:21.139 to shame the wise. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:24.259 God chose what is weak in the world 00:09:24.259 --> 00:09:25.500 to shame the strong. 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:29.159 God chose what is low and despised in the world, 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:30.679 even things that are not, 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:33.179 to bring to nothing things that are, 00:09:34.259 --> 00:09:37.840 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 00:09:39.539 --> 00:09:41.259 Here's one way I like to think about it. 00:09:41.279 --> 00:09:42.940 Imagine Jesus is a team captain, 00:09:43.340 --> 00:09:46.159 and he's selecting a group of players for his team 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:47.960 for a game of pickup basketball. 00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:50.780 Rather than pick the obvious choices, 00:09:51.340 --> 00:09:52.460 the six foot six guy, 00:09:52.620 --> 00:09:54.639 the person who has a 32 inch vertical leap, 00:09:54.720 --> 00:09:56.420 the guy who actually can shoot the ball, 00:09:57.139 --> 00:10:00.660 what Jesus does is he picks the short fat kid with Rexbecks, 00:10:00.780 --> 00:10:01.680 me in middle school. 00:10:02.580 --> 00:10:04.639 He picks the kid who can't dribble 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:06.180 and has never played basketball before. 00:10:06.259 --> 00:10:07.759 He picks the guy with two left feet 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:08.780 who's wearing flip flops. 00:10:10.040 --> 00:10:12.680 Jesus picks the losers for his team, 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:15.379 the ones who are normally picked last 00:10:15.379 --> 00:10:17.799 in the games of pickup basketball. 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:19.259 And we see this in choosing his disciples. 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:21.379 You see, Jesus is planning a revolution. 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:23.080 He's trying to change the world. 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:25.379 If I were in Jesus's shoes, 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:27.799 I would have picked a different group of people. 00:10:28.139 --> 00:10:29.860 I would have gone straight for the influencers, 00:10:30.059 --> 00:10:31.620 the Pharisees, the scribes, 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:36.039 the people, the warriors who are organized in militias, 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:38.779 but Jesus chooses a fisherman from the country. 00:10:39.620 --> 00:10:40.440 And the point is this. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:42.720 God does not choose us. 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:45.200 God doesn't choose his disciples because they're great. 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:48.120 He chooses us to do something great with us 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:49.879 to demonstrate his greatness. 00:10:50.139 --> 00:10:52.220 There is no room for moral superiority 00:10:52.220 --> 00:10:54.220 in the life of a disciple 00:10:54.220 --> 00:10:56.159 for one who's been chosen by Jesus. 00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:57.960 And the second thing is this. 00:10:58.120 --> 00:11:00.519 Jesus doesn't choose his disciples 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:02.899 primarily instead of other people. 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:06.559 He chooses his disciples for the sake of other people. 00:11:07.059 --> 00:11:09.240 We see this in the Old Testament once again. 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:12.500 God chooses Abraham to bless the whole world. 00:11:12.500 --> 00:11:16.419 God chooses Israel not instead of all the other nations, 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:17.860 but to be a light to the nations. 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:19.559 God chose Peter. 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:21.379 He chooses you and he chooses me, 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:23.500 not instead of all those other people, 00:11:23.879 --> 00:11:26.879 but for the sake of all of those other people, 00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:29.279 so that we might be used by God to reach them. 00:11:30.179 --> 00:11:33.059 William Temple, former Archbishop of Canterbury, says this. 00:11:33.059 --> 00:11:33.579 He says, 00:11:34.119 --> 00:11:36.019 the church is the only society 00:11:36.019 --> 00:11:39.099 that exists for the benefit of those 00:11:39.099 --> 00:11:40.139 who are not its members. 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:41.679 The church is the only society 00:11:41.679 --> 00:11:44.239 that exists for the benefit of those 00:11:44.239 --> 00:11:45.019 who are not its members. 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:47.459 And the church goes wrong when it forgets this. 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:49.379 So that's the first thing. 00:11:49.439 --> 00:11:52.419 To be a disciple means to be chosen by Jesus, 00:11:52.599 --> 00:11:53.839 to be picked by Jesus. 00:11:54.539 --> 00:11:55.959 And the second thing is that 00:11:55.959 --> 00:11:57.899 we are then confronted by Jesus. 00:11:58.019 --> 00:11:58.939 And there's a progression here. 00:11:58.940 --> 00:12:01.280 We're chosen in order to be confronted. 00:12:02.840 --> 00:12:05.380 To be a disciple requires that we be confronted 00:12:05.380 --> 00:12:08.120 with the truth of Jesus and of ourselves. 00:12:08.340 --> 00:12:10.080 And this is the real heart of our passage. 00:12:10.280 --> 00:12:12.440 This is the real heart of Luke chapter five. 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:15.680 Let's look at how Jesus confronts Simon Peter. 00:12:16.420 --> 00:12:19.100 In verse four, we read this. 00:12:19.400 --> 00:12:21.880 When Jesus had finished speaking to the crowds, 00:12:22.420 --> 00:12:23.980 he turned to Peter. 00:12:24.140 --> 00:12:24.860 And he says this. 00:12:24.860 --> 00:12:28.980 Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. 00:12:29.940 --> 00:12:31.139 And so the first thing we see 00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:35.039 is that Jesus is challenging Peter's competence at fishing. 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:38.720 Now what Jesus says might sound like a smart move, 00:12:39.060 --> 00:12:41.360 but it's actually really terrible advice. 00:12:41.779 --> 00:12:43.360 Jesus was not a fishing master. 00:12:43.500 --> 00:12:44.480 We need to understand that. 00:12:44.899 --> 00:12:46.240 For those of us who are unaccustomed 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:49.539 to the best practices of fishing in first century Galilee, 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:51.420 there's a few things that you need to know. 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:52.539 The first thing is this. 00:12:52.539 --> 00:12:56.039 Nobody fished with nets during the day. 00:12:56.819 --> 00:12:59.019 The nets that they used were called trammel nets, 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:01.339 and they were made of thick linen ropes 00:13:01.339 --> 00:13:04.079 that fish could see in the water during the day. 00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:05.299 So they would swim away from them. 00:13:05.439 --> 00:13:08.179 They would be completely useless, ineffective during the day, 00:13:08.319 --> 00:13:10.419 but they were really effective at night. 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:12.740 The other thing that you need to know 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:15.899 is that fishermen knew the best places to fish 00:13:15.899 --> 00:13:17.059 because they were fishermen. 00:13:17.179 --> 00:13:18.000 That was their job. 00:13:18.419 --> 00:13:21.120 They knew that you don't find the fish in the deep, 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:25.039 but near the shore where the streams flow into the lake. 00:13:26.019 --> 00:13:27.960 Now, knowing these things, knowing this, 00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:31.100 we can see that this is actually a really hilarious scene. 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:32.399 Jesus is actually pretty funny. 00:13:33.179 --> 00:13:33.779 Jesus says, 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:36.480 put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:39.799 It's advice only a landlubber would give. 00:13:40.419 --> 00:13:41.279 And Simon answers, 00:13:41.379 --> 00:13:43.679 just think what would have been going on in his mind 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:45.860 knowing all the things Jesus was telling him to do 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:47.740 were just bad, were wrong. 00:13:47.740 --> 00:13:48.500 He says, 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:50.799 Master, we toiled all night and took nothing, 00:13:51.379 --> 00:13:52.659 but at your word, 00:13:53.320 --> 00:13:55.320 I'll let down my nets again. 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:57.580 It's like Jesus is trolling Peter. 00:13:57.700 --> 00:13:58.879 He's like setting him up. 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:01.500 Imagine what would have been going on in Peter's mind. 00:14:01.940 --> 00:14:04.820 Imagine the look on Peter's face in the boat. 00:14:05.620 --> 00:14:07.159 He's tired from fishing all night. 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:08.259 He's probably hungry. 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:09.320 He's mad. 00:14:09.399 --> 00:14:10.460 He didn't catch anything. 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:12.100 He wasted a whole evening. 00:14:12.620 --> 00:14:14.920 And he just finished washing his nets. 00:14:15.779 --> 00:14:16.460 And then Jesus, 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:19.899 who likely knows very, very little about fishing, 00:14:20.420 --> 00:14:22.399 tells him to get back out there with those clean nets. 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:27.019 It's how I imagine it would be something like this. 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:30.700 Imagine spending three hours in your backyard 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:33.740 trying to figure out what's wrong with your gas lawnmower. 00:14:33.899 --> 00:14:34.659 You've taken it apart, 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:36.860 trying to figure out why it's not working. 00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:37.940 And then your neighbor, 00:14:38.180 --> 00:14:39.759 the one on the left side of your house, 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:42.039 who hires a professional landscaper, 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:43.879 comes over with an extension cord 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:45.500 and asks if you tried plugging it in. 00:14:46.180 --> 00:14:48.060 It is a ridiculous scene, 00:14:48.419 --> 00:14:49.860 but that's kind of the point. 00:14:49.960 --> 00:14:51.480 All of this is to set up the miracle, 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:53.700 and the miracle is to set up the real confrontation. 00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:58.080 Peter is confronted by the truth of Jesus and of himself. 00:14:59.060 --> 00:15:02.080 And Peter obeys Jesus' bad fishing advice, 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:05.519 and then he catches more fish than he's ever seen. 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:07.519 We're talking hundreds of fish, 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:09.819 enough to sink two boats. 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:11.059 It's the haul of a lifetime. 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:13.860 And Peter's response, at least to me, 00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:16.139 is the most surprising thing about this passage. 00:15:16.939 --> 00:15:19.720 It contrasts very sharply with everybody else 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:21.379 up until this point in the Gospels. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:25.039 The crowds that Jesus ministers to can't get enough of him, 00:15:25.100 --> 00:15:27.159 and they want to keep him for themselves. 00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:31.860 But Peter, unlike the crowds, really sees Jesus. 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:35.039 And his response is not to cling to Jesus, 00:15:35.220 --> 00:15:36.480 but to recoil from him. 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:39.320 In verse 8, when Simon Peter saw this miracle, 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:41.440 all the fish, he collapses. 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:43.759 He falls down at Jesus' knees, 00:15:43.860 --> 00:15:44.360 and he says, 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:46.940 Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:49.720 So what's going on with Peter's response? 00:15:50.919 --> 00:15:52.399 Well, the days leading up to this, 00:15:52.539 --> 00:15:55.240 Peter was an eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus. 00:15:55.519 --> 00:15:56.759 He heard his powerful teaching. 00:15:56.759 --> 00:15:58.299 He saw his miracles. 00:15:59.019 --> 00:16:00.019 And he saw it up close, 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:02.240 in the synagogue, in his own home, 00:16:02.980 --> 00:16:03.919 with his mother-in-law. 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:06.200 But what happened on the boat was different. 00:16:06.439 --> 00:16:08.240 It was more personal. 00:16:08.980 --> 00:16:10.860 What happened on the boat was for him. 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:13.299 And Peter couldn't handle it. 00:16:14.059 --> 00:16:16.539 He saw that Jesus was not just a master teacher 00:16:16.539 --> 00:16:17.480 with new ideas, 00:16:18.259 --> 00:16:19.759 not just a wonder worker, 00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:22.200 certainly not the world's best tilapia fisherman. 00:16:22.840 --> 00:16:24.740 He's a human being like no other. 00:16:25.319 --> 00:16:26.279 Jesus is the master. 00:16:26.819 --> 00:16:27.720 He's the Lord. 00:16:29.079 --> 00:16:29.939 And it's clear, I think, 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:31.720 that Luke wants us to see a connection 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:33.559 to Isaiah 6 here, 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:35.500 when Isaiah was in the throne room of God, 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:37.500 a passage we read a few moments ago. 00:16:38.059 --> 00:16:39.740 Before the presence of the Holy One, 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:40.839 Isaiah says, 00:16:41.019 --> 00:16:42.360 Woe is me, for I am lost. 00:16:42.439 --> 00:16:44.120 I am a man of unclean lips. 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:46.799 And Peter, not in the throne room of God, 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:48.500 but on a boat in the Sea of Galilee, 00:16:49.079 --> 00:16:52.199 finds himself before Jesus, the Holy One. 00:16:52.419 --> 00:16:53.259 And he says, 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:55.620 Depart from me, for I am a sinful man. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:00.139 Now, I don't think Peter had a comprehensive Christology here. 00:17:00.179 --> 00:17:02.399 I don't think he understands Jesus fully, 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:04.759 what it means for him to be fully God and fully man. 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:09.160 But he has seen enough to know that Jesus is no mere mortal. 00:17:10.420 --> 00:17:13.059 Peter is like a man coming out of a dark cave, 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:16.919 and he's confronted with the brilliance of the sun for the very first time. 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:19.639 Lightning has struck his eyes. 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:22.659 He catches a quick glimpse before having to shut them, 00:17:23.079 --> 00:17:25.740 and he doesn't have to see everything clearly to realize 00:17:25.740 --> 00:17:27.919 that he was formerly in the dark, 00:17:28.379 --> 00:17:29.879 and now he is in the light. 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:33.299 He's struck by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:17:33.299 --> 00:17:37.419 This man, this Jesus, is the one. 00:17:38.259 --> 00:17:40.379 He is the answer to all my questions, 00:17:41.059 --> 00:17:43.879 many of which I didn't even know that I had before meeting him. 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:47.900 This man is the hope that I've always longed for, 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:50.100 but could never quite articulate. 00:17:51.140 --> 00:17:54.000 His love is the love that I've always craved. 00:17:54.100 --> 00:17:56.560 His touch is the touch that I've always wanted. 00:17:56.700 --> 00:17:59.760 His life is the life I always desired, 00:18:00.320 --> 00:18:01.740 but could never quite attain. 00:18:01.740 --> 00:18:05.299 And so on that boat, in front of all of those crowds, 00:18:05.900 --> 00:18:06.960 the veil is removed. 00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:10.359 Peter sees Jesus face to face, 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:14.559 and he realizes that he is utterly inadequate, 00:18:15.140 --> 00:18:17.759 that he is utterly unworthy, 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:20.620 that he is a sinful man. 00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:23.160 Now, to be a disciple requires 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:27.059 that we come in contact with Jesus in this way, 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:29.700 and that we be confronted with this reality 00:18:29.700 --> 00:18:32.220 about who Jesus is and who we are. 00:18:33.059 --> 00:18:34.819 I can't beat how Tim Keller puts it. 00:18:34.860 --> 00:18:36.900 He says, he describes the reality like this. 00:18:37.500 --> 00:18:38.900 We need to be confronted with this. 00:18:39.539 --> 00:18:41.380 We are more sinful and flawed 00:18:41.380 --> 00:18:43.720 than we ever dared believe, 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:45.720 but at the same time, 00:18:45.819 --> 00:18:47.299 more accepted and loved 00:18:47.299 --> 00:18:49.279 than we ever dared dreamed. 00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:53.360 Peter finds himself naked before the Lord. 00:18:53.819 --> 00:18:55.759 He is absolutely exposed 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:57.799 and absolutely loved. 00:18:57.799 --> 00:18:59.839 And it is a confrontation. 00:19:00.220 --> 00:19:02.220 It's part judgment, but it's all grace. 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:04.879 In the confrontation, he hears this call. 00:19:05.619 --> 00:19:07.659 You must change your life. 00:19:08.639 --> 00:19:09.919 Notice this isn't an argument. 00:19:10.180 --> 00:19:11.700 He's not argued into being a disciple. 00:19:12.099 --> 00:19:14.139 It's an encounter with Jesus. 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:19.519 This brings us to the third aspect of discipleship, 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:20.859 what it means to be a disciple. 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:23.240 Again, Balthazar puts it beautifully. 00:19:23.399 --> 00:19:24.460 He says, this encounter, 00:19:24.460 --> 00:19:27.759 this confrontation leads to something else. 00:19:28.600 --> 00:19:29.480 He writes this, 00:19:29.539 --> 00:19:31.819 we only see God by being wrapped, 00:19:32.620 --> 00:19:34.740 by being transported towards him, 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:35.880 by being transformed. 00:19:36.840 --> 00:19:39.100 No one is enraptured without returning 00:19:39.100 --> 00:19:42.319 from this encounter without a personal mission. 00:19:43.340 --> 00:19:45.519 God only shows himself to someone, 00:19:46.200 --> 00:19:50.000 only enraptures him in order to commission him. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:52.240 Disciples are chosen, 00:19:52.539 --> 00:19:53.420 we're confronted, 00:19:53.420 --> 00:19:56.299 in order to be commissioned by Jesus. 00:19:57.339 --> 00:19:59.480 So Peter tells Jesus to leave 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:01.500 and Jesus almost disregards it, 00:20:01.619 --> 00:20:02.859 classic Jesus move. 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:04.759 In verse 10, he says, 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:06.039 do not be afraid. 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:09.400 From now on, you will be catching people. 00:20:10.500 --> 00:20:12.160 Despite our unworthiness, 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:15.160 Jesus dignifies disciples. 00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:16.660 He dignifies us 00:20:16.660 --> 00:20:18.860 by inviting us to partner with him 00:20:18.860 --> 00:20:21.740 in his mission to gather all peoples to himself. 00:20:22.600 --> 00:20:23.400 From now on, 00:20:23.460 --> 00:20:25.540 this is a clear break from the past. 00:20:26.060 --> 00:20:27.300 You used to devote your time, 00:20:27.380 --> 00:20:28.700 you used to devote your time 00:20:28.700 --> 00:20:30.259 and your energy to this other thing, 00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:31.620 and now you're going to be 00:20:31.620 --> 00:20:32.900 devoting it to something else. 00:20:33.600 --> 00:20:34.360 So what is this? 00:20:34.420 --> 00:20:36.040 It's the mission of catching people. 00:20:36.540 --> 00:20:38.779 Now, this is a really interesting image 00:20:38.779 --> 00:20:41.980 when we consider how Peter fished. 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:44.180 Remember, he fished at night, 00:20:44.600 --> 00:20:46.180 effectively tricking the fish. 00:20:46.820 --> 00:20:48.100 to go into his nets. 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:49.040 They end up dying 00:20:49.040 --> 00:20:50.800 and being sold and then eaten. 00:20:51.580 --> 00:20:53.100 Clearly, I don't think Jesus is saying, 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:54.300 Peter, you should trick people 00:20:54.300 --> 00:20:55.140 into following Jesus 00:20:55.140 --> 00:20:56.120 so they'll die 00:20:56.120 --> 00:20:57.279 and we can sell them 00:20:57.279 --> 00:20:58.160 and we can eat them. 00:20:58.620 --> 00:20:59.700 The Bible is true, 00:20:59.779 --> 00:21:00.340 but we're not supposed 00:21:00.340 --> 00:21:01.660 to interpret literalistically. 00:21:01.880 --> 00:21:03.220 He's using a powerful metaphor 00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:05.160 because he's commissioning 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:06.400 a career fisher. 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:08.940 But it is an important image, 00:21:09.259 --> 00:21:10.620 one that applies to all of us, 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:12.840 and I want to help us understand it 00:21:12.840 --> 00:21:14.440 a little bit by telling a story. 00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:16.980 So 12 years or so ago 00:21:16.980 --> 00:21:18.259 when I was in seminary 00:21:18.259 --> 00:21:20.880 in Boston at Gordon-Conwell, 00:21:21.559 --> 00:21:23.980 Susan and I were young 00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:25.220 and in love, newly married. 00:21:25.340 --> 00:21:26.360 We didn't have a lot of money 00:21:26.360 --> 00:21:29.860 and we found a unique housing situation. 00:21:30.100 --> 00:21:31.200 It was called a live-in. 00:21:31.880 --> 00:21:33.500 The deal was I would do work 00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:35.559 around an estate in exchange for rent. 00:21:35.700 --> 00:21:36.460 10 hours of work, 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:37.360 didn't have to pay rent. 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:39.319 It was really an amazing deal. 00:21:39.819 --> 00:21:41.339 I chopped quite a bit of wood, 00:21:41.419 --> 00:21:42.899 so if you ever need wood chopping, 00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:43.740 give me a call. 00:21:43.839 --> 00:21:44.619 I like doing it. 00:21:45.099 --> 00:21:46.199 But mostly what I did 00:21:46.199 --> 00:21:47.339 was landscaping work 00:21:47.339 --> 00:21:48.559 and I wasn't particularly good at it, 00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:49.339 but, you know, 00:21:49.500 --> 00:21:50.219 that's what I did. 00:21:50.959 --> 00:21:52.219 And in this estate, 00:21:52.299 --> 00:21:53.199 they had this beautiful 00:21:53.199 --> 00:21:54.319 spring-fed pond. 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:55.459 It was pretty big, 00:21:55.659 --> 00:21:57.659 about the size of a baseball diamond. 00:21:58.579 --> 00:21:59.240 In the pond, 00:21:59.639 --> 00:22:00.299 there were turtles 00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:02.979 and frogs and fish. 00:22:03.900 --> 00:22:05.000 And one spring, 00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:05.980 we had a nor'easter, 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:07.680 it was a pretty common thing up there, 00:22:08.120 --> 00:22:09.480 that flooded the pond. 00:22:10.059 --> 00:22:11.740 And I looked outside of my window 00:22:11.740 --> 00:22:13.000 and I saw the estate. 00:22:13.099 --> 00:22:13.740 It looked like a tornado 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:14.460 had gone through it. 00:22:14.539 --> 00:22:16.099 There was just branches and trees 00:22:16.099 --> 00:22:17.339 and water everywhere. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:19.299 So I went out into the grounds 00:22:19.299 --> 00:22:21.019 to get my 10 hours of work in 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:22.440 and I discovered 00:22:22.440 --> 00:22:23.220 that there were puddles 00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:24.339 all over the estate. 00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:25.380 Some big puddles, 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:26.460 some small puddles. 00:22:26.940 --> 00:22:27.940 And as I got closer, 00:22:28.440 --> 00:22:29.720 I realized that the puddles 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:30.559 were full of fish 00:22:30.559 --> 00:22:31.819 all over the property. 00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:33.659 Somehow in the nor'easter, 00:22:33.819 --> 00:22:35.279 they were swept out of the pond 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:37.000 and they were just spread out 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:37.779 all over the property. 00:22:38.419 --> 00:22:39.559 The fish had no idea 00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:40.759 that they were in grave danger, 00:22:40.879 --> 00:22:41.319 but they were. 00:22:41.419 --> 00:22:42.519 They weren't going to last long there. 00:22:43.079 --> 00:22:44.099 And so I grabbed 00:22:44.099 --> 00:22:45.079 the little nets 00:22:45.079 --> 00:22:46.439 that you use to catch tadpoles 00:22:46.439 --> 00:22:47.339 and the little buckets 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:49.539 you use to make sand cows with. 00:22:50.059 --> 00:22:50.919 And I proceeded 00:22:50.919 --> 00:22:51.819 to spend the morning 00:22:51.819 --> 00:22:53.460 rescuing all of those fish. 00:22:54.139 --> 00:22:54.819 I caught them, 00:22:54.899 --> 00:22:56.500 put them in the little bucket 00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:57.879 and then deposited back 00:22:57.879 --> 00:22:58.559 into the pond. 00:22:58.559 --> 00:22:59.359 I don't know how many 00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:00.099 that I rescued, 00:23:00.220 --> 00:23:01.019 dozens of them. 00:23:01.019 --> 00:23:02.200 And I felt like 00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:03.759 an absolute hero that day. 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:05.700 I like to think about 00:23:05.700 --> 00:23:06.660 in my bad days 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:07.639 all of the generations 00:23:07.639 --> 00:23:08.879 of fish that survived, 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:09.559 that live on 00:23:09.559 --> 00:23:10.720 because of my work. 00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:12.319 In a sense, 00:23:12.379 --> 00:23:12.960 I was fishing. 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:14.779 I was rescuing those fish, 00:23:14.879 --> 00:23:15.519 putting them back 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:16.579 where they belonged. 00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:18.519 And I think this is exactly 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:19.700 what Jesus has in mind 00:23:19.700 --> 00:23:20.480 for Peter 00:23:20.480 --> 00:23:20.980 when he says, 00:23:21.059 --> 00:23:21.819 you'll be catching people. 00:23:22.279 --> 00:23:23.200 The verb catching 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:24.160 literally means 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:25.259 to capture alive. 00:23:25.859 --> 00:23:26.980 It means to rescue. 00:23:26.980 --> 00:23:29.220 Just like what happened 00:23:29.220 --> 00:23:29.920 in that property 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:30.779 12 years ago, 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:31.339 in our world 00:23:31.339 --> 00:23:32.059 a terrible storm 00:23:32.059 --> 00:23:32.539 has happened. 00:23:33.120 --> 00:23:34.380 And the world is a mess 00:23:34.380 --> 00:23:35.720 and people are in grave danger. 00:23:36.120 --> 00:23:37.420 They're living in muddy puddles 00:23:37.420 --> 00:23:37.960 but they're meant 00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:38.920 for this beautiful 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:39.960 spring-fed pond. 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:41.660 And so Jesus commissions 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:42.160 his people 00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:43.420 to be fishermen, 00:23:44.099 --> 00:23:44.900 used by God 00:23:44.900 --> 00:23:46.079 to help deliver people 00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:47.200 from the domain of darkness 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:48.160 as Paul puts it, 00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:49.339 and transferred 00:23:49.339 --> 00:23:50.059 to the kingdom 00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:51.099 of his beloved son. 00:23:51.980 --> 00:23:53.039 This is what it means 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:54.660 to be a fisher of humans. 00:23:54.660 --> 00:23:56.100 And it's amazing. 00:23:56.240 --> 00:23:57.840 We're not just saved by Jesus 00:23:57.840 --> 00:23:59.200 but we're invited 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:00.019 to partner with him. 00:24:00.980 --> 00:24:01.700 So to be a disciple 00:24:01.700 --> 00:24:02.900 means to be chosen, 00:24:03.300 --> 00:24:04.300 to be confronted, 00:24:04.980 --> 00:24:05.880 and to be commissioned. 00:24:06.600 --> 00:24:07.100 And lastly, 00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:08.320 it means to be committed 00:24:08.320 --> 00:24:09.420 to Jesus. 00:24:09.620 --> 00:24:10.480 The first three things 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:10.980 you'll notice 00:24:10.980 --> 00:24:13.779 focus on Jesus' initiative. 00:24:13.940 --> 00:24:14.720 The last one 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:16.800 focuses on our response. 00:24:17.620 --> 00:24:18.580 So to be a disciple 00:24:18.580 --> 00:24:20.540 means to be committed 00:24:20.540 --> 00:24:21.540 to Jesus. 00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:23.779 And Peter models this for us 00:24:23.779 --> 00:24:24.720 in an amazing way. 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:26.220 He follows Jesus 00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:28.519 in a truly radical way. 00:24:29.139 --> 00:24:29.940 He left behind 00:24:29.940 --> 00:24:30.819 a massive haul, 00:24:30.920 --> 00:24:32.559 an amazing amount of wealth, 00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:33.579 more wealth than he's probably 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:34.660 ever seen in his life, 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:36.379 to commit his way to Jesus. 00:24:37.339 --> 00:24:38.480 This is what it looks like 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:39.019 to repent 00:24:39.019 --> 00:24:39.920 and to believe, 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:41.019 to turn away 00:24:41.019 --> 00:24:42.440 from his old way of life 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:44.339 and to begin a new one 00:24:44.339 --> 00:24:45.539 radically committed to, 00:24:45.639 --> 00:24:46.500 radically yoked 00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:47.220 to Jesus. 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:49.500 So what does it mean for us? 00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:50.139 What does it mean 00:24:50.139 --> 00:24:51.680 to be committed to Jesus? 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:53.140 It's radical, 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:54.400 but it's not rocket science. 00:24:54.500 --> 00:24:55.279 It means this, 00:24:55.340 --> 00:24:55.960 very simply. 00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:57.500 To be committed to Jesus 00:24:57.500 --> 00:24:59.220 means saying yes. 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:01.779 Saying yes to Jesus 00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:03.039 is not a one-time thing. 00:25:03.140 --> 00:25:03.740 It's not just a thing 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:04.900 you do at summer camp 00:25:04.900 --> 00:25:05.799 back in high school. 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:07.680 It's a thing that we do 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:08.660 every day, 00:25:09.420 --> 00:25:10.100 every hour, 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:11.360 every moment. 00:25:12.120 --> 00:25:13.660 The two most important words 00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:15.080 for a disciple 00:25:15.080 --> 00:25:16.779 is yes, Lord. 00:25:17.420 --> 00:25:18.799 How many times did you say that 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:19.900 to the Lord last week? 00:25:19.900 --> 00:25:22.120 When God calls us, 00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:23.900 the only responsibility 00:25:23.900 --> 00:25:25.320 that a disciple has 00:25:25.320 --> 00:25:27.060 is to say yes. 00:25:28.180 --> 00:25:29.240 And God's on the hook 00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:30.180 for what happens next. 00:25:30.800 --> 00:25:31.720 We are to say yes 00:25:31.720 --> 00:25:33.280 and leave the consequences 00:25:33.280 --> 00:25:34.100 to him. 00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:37.660 Now, I said it is radical, 00:25:37.980 --> 00:25:39.519 but it's not rocket science. 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:41.100 It's pretty hard to do this. 00:25:41.140 --> 00:25:41.480 I don't know 00:25:41.480 --> 00:25:42.620 if that's true for you. 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:43.880 If you're anything like me, 00:25:44.259 --> 00:25:45.280 you're very gifted 00:25:45.280 --> 00:25:46.740 at nuancing your way 00:25:46.740 --> 00:25:47.900 out of full commitments. 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:49.519 When God prompts, 00:25:49.600 --> 00:25:50.420 it's very easy 00:25:50.420 --> 00:25:51.300 for me to justify 00:25:51.300 --> 00:25:52.920 delaying obedience 00:25:52.920 --> 00:25:55.560 or outright disobeying him. 00:25:56.560 --> 00:25:57.720 What the heart desires, 00:25:57.840 --> 00:25:58.440 the will chooses, 00:25:58.660 --> 00:26:00.220 and the mind justifies. 00:26:00.340 --> 00:26:01.560 That Anglican maxim 00:26:01.560 --> 00:26:03.560 often describes my life. 00:26:04.220 --> 00:26:05.019 This is how I think 00:26:05.019 --> 00:26:06.200 it plays out in our heads. 00:26:07.360 --> 00:26:08.580 Surely God could not 00:26:08.580 --> 00:26:09.160 be calling me 00:26:09.160 --> 00:26:10.060 to invite my neighbor 00:26:10.060 --> 00:26:12.480 or my colleague to church. 00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:13.720 He should know 00:26:13.720 --> 00:26:14.519 as well as anyone 00:26:14.519 --> 00:26:16.380 that they have no interest 00:26:16.380 --> 00:26:17.160 whatsoever in doing 00:26:17.160 --> 00:26:17.920 this kind of thing. 00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:18.960 They might even get 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:19.700 offended by it. 00:26:20.940 --> 00:26:21.960 Surely God could not 00:26:21.960 --> 00:26:22.560 be calling me 00:26:22.560 --> 00:26:23.580 to give that much money 00:26:23.580 --> 00:26:25.100 away to that cause, 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:25.860 to that person. 00:26:26.580 --> 00:26:27.260 God wants me 00:26:27.260 --> 00:26:28.520 to be fiscally responsible 00:26:28.520 --> 00:26:29.520 and to save 00:26:29.520 --> 00:26:30.400 for my kids' college. 00:26:31.860 --> 00:26:33.240 Surely God could not 00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:33.780 be calling me 00:26:33.780 --> 00:26:34.540 to switch careers. 00:26:34.700 --> 00:26:36.100 He knows how much money 00:26:36.100 --> 00:26:37.260 I spent on grad school 00:26:37.260 --> 00:26:38.100 and how many hours 00:26:38.100 --> 00:26:39.260 I put in to get here. 00:26:40.660 --> 00:26:41.980 Surely God could not 00:26:41.980 --> 00:26:42.620 be calling me 00:26:42.620 --> 00:26:43.820 to confront my friend 00:26:43.819 --> 00:26:45.720 about her destructive 00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:47.519 pattern of behavior again. 00:26:48.619 --> 00:26:49.439 God knows 00:26:49.439 --> 00:26:51.019 that they would reject me 00:26:51.019 --> 00:26:51.879 and he knows 00:26:51.879 --> 00:26:53.039 how much they need me 00:26:53.039 --> 00:26:53.899 as a friend. 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:55.939 But surely God 00:26:55.939 --> 00:26:57.079 is calling you 00:26:57.079 --> 00:26:57.899 to something right now. 00:26:59.039 --> 00:26:59.819 Maybe it's 00:26:59.819 --> 00:27:00.819 to forgive someone. 00:27:01.639 --> 00:27:02.079 Maybe it's 00:27:02.079 --> 00:27:03.439 to ask for forgiveness. 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:04.720 Maybe it's 00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:05.539 to confess a sin 00:27:05.539 --> 00:27:06.460 that's been plaguing you 00:27:06.460 --> 00:27:07.419 that nobody knows about. 00:27:08.399 --> 00:27:09.220 Maybe it's 00:27:09.220 --> 00:27:10.119 to share the gospel 00:27:10.119 --> 00:27:10.839 with somebody. 00:27:10.839 --> 00:27:12.819 Maybe it's 00:27:12.819 --> 00:27:13.939 to believe the gospel 00:27:13.939 --> 00:27:15.199 for yourself. 00:27:21.799 --> 00:27:22.279 Now, 00:27:23.159 --> 00:27:24.539 I've lost track 00:27:24.539 --> 00:27:24.959 of my, 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:26.519 I was getting into it there. 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:27.619 Lost track 00:27:27.619 --> 00:27:28.379 of my notes. 00:27:29.139 --> 00:27:30.139 It's great, right? 00:27:30.879 --> 00:27:31.279 Okay. 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:32.779 So if you're like me, 00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:33.939 there are things 00:27:33.939 --> 00:27:34.559 that you suspect, 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:35.179 there are things 00:27:35.179 --> 00:27:36.740 that you actually know 00:27:36.740 --> 00:27:37.819 that God 00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:38.519 is calling to you. 00:27:38.539 --> 00:27:39.699 He probably was telling you 00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:40.759 as I was going through 00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:41.559 those things. 00:27:42.600 --> 00:27:43.519 God is calling you 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:44.660 to say yes to something 00:27:44.660 --> 00:27:45.900 and you've delayed. 00:27:46.019 --> 00:27:46.400 But I want you 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:47.019 to hear this. 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:48.840 Do that thing. 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:50.519 Commit to doing it. 00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:51.740 Take the risk 00:27:51.740 --> 00:27:52.980 to say yes 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:54.920 and leave the consequences 00:27:54.920 --> 00:27:55.620 to God. 00:27:56.319 --> 00:27:57.100 You can trust him. 00:27:58.180 --> 00:27:58.880 Here's the deal. 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:00.180 I'm paraphrasing 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:00.860 Richard Foster, 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:02.059 one of my spiritual heroes. 00:28:02.980 --> 00:28:04.140 At the end of the day, 00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:06.259 what this world needs 00:28:06.259 --> 00:28:07.620 is not more smart people 00:28:07.620 --> 00:28:09.180 or more gifted people. 00:28:09.700 --> 00:28:10.559 The desperate need 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:11.059 of the world, 00:28:11.200 --> 00:28:11.720 the desperate need 00:28:11.720 --> 00:28:12.360 of this city 00:28:12.360 --> 00:28:14.019 is deep people. 00:28:14.779 --> 00:28:16.080 People who are radically 00:28:16.080 --> 00:28:17.480 committed to following Jesus, 00:28:17.700 --> 00:28:18.400 people who are quick 00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:19.259 to say yes. 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:20.860 And this commitment 00:28:20.860 --> 00:28:21.779 is not a sprint. 00:28:22.380 --> 00:28:22.900 It is, 00:28:22.900 --> 00:28:23.940 to borrow a phrase 00:28:23.940 --> 00:28:24.519 from Nietzsche, 00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:25.660 a long obedience 00:28:25.660 --> 00:28:27.180 in the same direction. 00:28:27.980 --> 00:28:29.000 Of developing the habit 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:29.799 of saying yes 00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:31.640 over and over 00:28:31.640 --> 00:28:32.500 and over 00:28:32.500 --> 00:28:33.660 and over again 00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:34.420 along the way. 00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:36.019 Discipleship 00:28:36.019 --> 00:28:36.539 is a commitment 00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:37.960 to a kind of mastery. 00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:40.019 It's a long obedience 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:41.460 like learning a skill, 00:28:42.120 --> 00:28:42.860 only the skill 00:28:42.860 --> 00:28:43.519 that we're learning 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:44.420 is how to become 00:28:44.420 --> 00:28:45.579 fully human beings. 00:28:46.420 --> 00:28:47.799 And after 10,000 hours 00:28:47.799 --> 00:28:48.559 of practice, 00:28:49.100 --> 00:28:49.980 of being mastered 00:28:49.980 --> 00:28:50.640 by Jesus 00:28:50.640 --> 00:28:52.420 and doing the spirit-filled 00:28:52.420 --> 00:28:53.539 work of saying yes 00:28:53.539 --> 00:28:54.079 to Jesus 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:55.539 over and over again, 00:28:55.980 --> 00:28:57.160 after 10,000 hours 00:28:57.160 --> 00:28:57.860 of doing that, 00:28:58.700 --> 00:28:59.700 living out the supernatural 00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:00.880 life of Christ 00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:01.880 will become 00:29:01.880 --> 00:29:03.039 the most natural thing. 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:04.099 let's pray. 00:29:08.980 --> 00:29:09.420 Lord, 00:29:09.579 --> 00:29:10.859 you do speak to us. 00:29:11.339 --> 00:29:12.220 You have been speaking 00:29:12.220 --> 00:29:12.839 to us. 00:29:13.460 --> 00:29:14.079 There are things 00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:14.899 that you're calling us 00:29:14.899 --> 00:29:15.799 to say yes to. 00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:18.399 Lord, 00:29:18.500 --> 00:29:19.639 help us to trust you. 00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:20.259 Help us 00:29:20.259 --> 00:29:21.879 to have faith 00:29:21.879 --> 00:29:23.740 to say yes 00:29:23.740 --> 00:29:25.539 and to trust 00:29:25.539 --> 00:29:26.259 the consequences 00:29:26.259 --> 00:29:26.819 to you. 00:29:27.960 --> 00:29:28.440 We pray these things 00:29:28.440 --> 00:29:29.599 in Christ's name. 00:29:30.159 --> 00:29:30.420 Amen. 00:29:30.420 --> 00:29:30.519 Amen. 00:29:30.519 --> 00:29:30.579 Amen.