FISHING FOR PEOPLE

Read Luke 5:1-11

1.       One day Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret while the people pushed their way up to him to listen to the word of God.

2.       He saw two boats pulled up on the beach; the fishermen had left them and were washing the nets.

3.       Jesus got into one of the boats---it belonged to Simon---and asked him to push off a little from the shore. Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowd.

4.        When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Push the boat out further to the deep water, and you and your partners let down your nets for a catch."

5.        "Master," Simon answered, "we worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will let down the nets."

6.        They let them down and caught such a large number of fish that the nets were about to break.

7.        So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full of fish that the boats were about to sink.

8.       When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he fell on his knees before Jesus and said, "Go away from me, Lord! I am a sinful man!"

9.        He and the others with him were all amazed at the large number of fish they had caught.

10.    The same was true of Simon's partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."

11.    They pulled the boats up on the beach, left everything, and followed Jesus.

Simon Peter became an important member of the team of Jesus followers.  In the passages we see how Simon Peter meets Jesus and how he learns that Jesus is the ‘coach’ he needs in his life.

Today we are going to think about Jesus as the greatest ‘coach’ who has ever lived.  Jesus is a real person, sent by God so that we can know what God is like.  He didn’t coach a sports team.  He coached a ‘life’ team on how to live their lives!

So Simon Peter and some of his friends joined Jesus’ team. Jesus was their leader – like their coach. This story already shows us something about the sort of coach Jesus was.

ATTRIBUTES OF A GOOD COACH

1. A good coach shares the life of the team. Jesus lived around the lake and watched Simon Peter and his friends at work. He even borrowed their boats. He knew that being a fisherman could be a really hard job.

·         Jesus knows about our lives and wants to be part of them. He knows about our families and our friends. He knows about when we are excited, when we’re sad or upset. And He cares.

2. A good coach listens to how his team members feel when they have to do things they find difficult. Simon Peter felt free to tell Jesus that his orders didn’t seem to make sense.

·         We can tell Jesus when we feel life doesn’t make sense. We can be confident about telling Jesus how we feel. Sometimes we don’t even have the words, but Jesus will understand. What are some of the difficult things in your life that you might like to tell Jesus about?

3. A good coach is respected by his team. Simon Peter found it hard to do what Jesus asked him to. But he obeyed because Jesus really was the coach of his life.

·         There will be times in our lives when saying “yes” to Jesus will be hard. We need to make up our minds about whether we are really going to let Jesus coach us. That will mean listening to what Jesus asks us to do, and obeying Him even when it’s tough.

4. A good coach wants us to be the very best that we can be – true champions. Jesus knew that Simon Peter was still a long way from being a champion. But that day He gave Simon Peter a glimpse of what it would be like if Simon Peter would let Jesus be his coach and take control of his life. Jesus knew that the best thing for Simon Peter was to join His team and help enlist other team members.

·         Jesus has great plans for our lives and wants to help us to discover them. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. But Jesus knows everything; He loves us very much and we can trust Him.

Jesus is coaching us to live our life in God’s way. What makes Jesus the greatest coach is that:

*         He shares our lives

*         He listens to us

*         He deserves our respect

*         He wants our very best.

God Bless!