3rd July 2026

3rd July 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (Luke 5:1-11 focus 10b-11)


Message (Alan Burke)


Most people, if they believe in God, think that he grades on a curve. What I mean by that is that many people have this idea that God will judge us in a relative comparison to others, so if we’re pretty good in comparison to our neighbour, we are alright; he’ll take the best of the best, and it doesn’t matter too much if we’ve gone to church, sought to pray, or done those kinds of things. Now, that’s absolute nonsense; the thing is, if you’ve kept the whole law and yet stumbled at just one point, you’re guilty of breaking all of it, as we are reminded in James (2:10). So let’s work that out a bit. Did you ever get cross at your folks, refuse to do what they said, or say some words that you shouldn’t to them? Have you ever got angry with someone that made your blood boil or even called someone a fool? Have you ever looked at someone and thought they are a bit of an alright? Have you ever accidentally taken a pen that is not yours? Have you ever told a white lie, even to hide that there was a surprise birthday party organised? I’d ask, have you ever wanted something that your neighbour has but I don’t even need to ask that because in reality, you’ve not kept the second table of the law at all, ie commandment 5-10; we are all law breakers, all sinners, we are guilty of breaking all of it. 


Here Peter had come face to face with the glory of the Son of God, and he knew that he was a sinful man. He wanted Jesus to depart from him, but instead, Jesus graciously calls this sinful man, an unworthy man, to follow him. Look at what Jesus says to Peter there in v10, “Don’t be afraid; from now on, you will catch men.” Those words, don’t be afraid, do you hear those words? Peter had fallen to his knees; he had asked Jesus to go away from him because he was a sinful man, and Jesus said, don’t be afraid. The wonderful, scandalous grace that we receive through this saviour is that through faith, we are the children of God; we have no need to be afraid in his presence, none at all. Do you hear the words of Jesus? If you have repented and believed, then even in your sinfulness, you have nothing to be afraid because he has taken your sin upon himself, he has atoned for your sin, remembered and forgotten, not yet committed, so you have nothing to fear before him. 


Then Jesus calls them to catch men. They may not fully understand the significance of all that has taken place or who they are before, but this is only the beginning of their journey, for they are to become fishers of men. All that has taken place is not to meet their physical needs but rather it is to teach them what he is going to do in and through them. It is a parable of what Jesus is going to do and who the disciples are going to be part of it. They left behind the biggest catch they had ever seen and followed Jesus, for they knew that there was more to life than this, more than a good catch and a good day’s wage. They left their nets and their boats, their livelihoods, their families to follow Jesus to become fishers of men. Peter would walk with the LORD. There were many times that he put his foot in it, promised things and failed. He was a sinful man that Jesus was preparing to become a fisher of men. There are times he is a cringeworthy disciple, but the LORD would use him for his purposes. The promise that they were given is they will catch men, not for death but for life. These disciples were to gather and rescue people for Christ. Left in our natural state, we will die and experience the pains of hell forever, but in Christ we are saved, rescued from our natural condition. The imagery used is a reversal of the normal imagery, for here we are caught alive, entering into a new vibrant life.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q3 What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.
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