The Faith Walk

Jonathan Evans: Now why in the world would Jesus have to tell a fisherman how to fish? Simple, because this was a fisherman who didn't have any fish. In other words, his title didn't match his outcomes. He was empty, he had failed, he was frustrated and fatigued.

The Bible says he was washing his nets and he had a situation where who he was and what was happening weren't connecting. How are you going to be a fisherman and you don't have any fish? A lot of us are just like Simon because our titles and our outcomes aren't matching up. How are you going to be a believer and be so broken?

Guest (Male): You're listening to The Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. In a moment, Jonathan will continue today's message, but first, to thank you for your support of this ministry, Jonathan has a couple of gifts for you.

The first is the audio series called *The Message in the Miracles*, equipping you to shift focus to Jesus as your ultimate source and letting His breakthrough happen. The second part of this gift is the book *Victory is Yours*. In this book, you'll find 100 uplifting devotions packed with scripture and daily motivations. I'll tell you more about these later in today's program, or you can call right now at 1-800-800-3222 or visit tonyevans.org to learn more. Now, here's Jonathan with part two of his message, "Let Down Your Nets."

Jonathan Evans: Luke chapter five, a familiar story and I want you to hear what Jesus is saying to you today. It says, "When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.'" One more time. "When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.'" May God add a blessing to the reading and hearing and application of His word.

Jesus was saying to Simon, "Hey man, I'm going to need you to go out into deeper waters and let down your nets for a catch." I love that statement because there's an assumptive variable in Jesus' command. That if you go from where you are to where I'm telling you, there's a catch out there. He didn't say let down your net and you might have a catch. He didn't say it's possible. He said if you go to the deep, you'll let down your net for a catch.

Now why in the world would Jesus have to tell a fisherman how to fish? Simple, because this was a fisherman who didn't have any fish. In other words, his title didn't match his outcomes. He was empty, he had failed, he was frustrated and fatigued. The Bible says he was washing his nets. And he had a situation where who he was and what was happening weren't connecting. How are you going to be a fisherman and you don't have any fish?

A lot of us are just like Simon because our titles and our outcomes aren't matching up. How are you going to be a believer and be so broken? How are you going to have a successful career and simultaneously have empty fulfillment? How are you going to have a marriage and no relationship? How are you going to have a wealthy lifestyle but be emotionally bankrupt? How are you going to be a world traveler but you know you don't have any place to go? How are you going to have a house but you don't have a home?

See, some of us are empty just like Simon with having titles. Here is a fisherman who doesn't have any fish and Jesus has to tell him, "If you want to have the catch, if you want to have fulfillment in your life based on the identity that you have, I'm going to need you to go out to the deep and let down your nets." That lets me know that where Simon was wasn't the place where he could have a catch. And so he's saying Simon's in the room today.

"I'm going to need you to move around a little bit. I'm going to need you to not stay where you are but go to where I'm telling you to go because I already sent the fish out there." Ephesians 1 says every blessing in heavenly places has already been done. I already sent the fish out to the deep. I'm just waiting for you to get out there to catch it. And so he's letting us know that this fisherman doesn't have any fish and Jesus saw it beforehand.

Now there's a point right here that I actually heard my sister make a long time ago. And so Priscilla, I heard her speaking and she was talking about how Jesus saw Peter. And she stopped there and that was the point. And then you know how Priscilla gets going when she's speaking. She's like, "He sees you on the mountaintop! He sees you in the valley! He sees you in your coming! He sees you in your going!" She'd be doing all that.

So I've been making fun of her for like seven years. I walk into her house, I'm just like, "He sees you! He sees you!" you know? And then as I was studying, I was like, "Huh, that's actually a good point. I'm going to have to steal that one." Because what I noticed is the setting in verse one. Verse one says that now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around him and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.

So you notice what's going on? The crowd is pressing, he's being smothered. It's chaos going on. People are trying to get a blessing and a healing and he's teaching a lesson. While all of that is going on, look at verse two. "And he saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets." So with all the chaos going on, Jesus was still focused on the people who were dealing with failure.

With all the problems that they were dealing with, they were not missed just because Jesus was touching people. Just because Jesus was giving a word and he was healing and teaching and doing the things that he does and he was being smothered from all sides, he was still focused on the people that were dealing with failure, frustration, and fatigue. What you need to know is there's a lot of people in here who feel unseen. That's not true. Jesus is focused on you.

He's seeing your trouble. He understands what you're going through. And not only did he see them, he saw all of the details. There were two boats at the edge of the lake of Gennesaret. There were two fishermen that got out of them. The fishermen were washing their nets. He's seeing all of this while he's being smothered, while he is teaching a lesson, while people are coming for a blessing. With all the chaos going on in the entire world, Jesus still sees your specific situation.

And he has taken notice of you. With everything going on, Jesus is not missing a thing. He has an ability that most men don't have. He can multitask. I heard some ladies say it before I said it. Sometimes my wife will be talking to me and she'll start going over a few things. And I'm just standing there like this: "Can you repeat that? I don't know what you just said. Remind me of what's going on." Jesus doesn't have that problem.

With everything going on, he's still somehow focused on you. And he doesn't miss it. Psalm 34:18 says he's close to the brokenhearted and he saves those who are crushed in spirit. When you feel like you have failed and you're frustrated and dealing with fatigue and you're out washing your nets, you've gotten out of the boat. This is a picture of Simon quitting. It says in Psalm 121:8 that he sees you when you come and when you go, both now and forevermore.

You all know Matthew 10:29 which suggests that if his eye is on a sparrow, then most certainly he is watching over you. I just wanted to let you know, he sees you. I had to end it like that because that's how Priscilla ended it. I appreciate that. Here he is seeing what's going on in the nuances of their life. He knows that you've been trying to cast a net for peace and you've come up empty. He knows that you've been trying to cast a net for family harmony and it's still empty.

He knows that you've been trying to cast a net for your children and it's still empty, for freedom. He knows whatever it is you've been trying to cast a net, he's been watching you come up empty. And you say, "Well Jonathan, how do I really know that Jesus sees me?" I'm glad you asked. In verse three, it says that he got into Simon's boat. It says and he got into the boats which was Simon's and asked him to put out a little way from the land.

And he sat down and began to teach the people from the boat. How do I know that while Jesus was giving a general lesson that he saw Simon? Simple. He got in Simon's boat. He got in Simon's boat and taught a lesson. Simon's boat represents Simon's business. This is how he did his business. And so what Jesus was doing is saying, "You know that he's watching you and the things that you're going through and the things that you're struggling with because even while you're hearing a general lesson, you'll feel like Jesus is all up in your business."

Have you ever come to church and felt like the word was directed right at you? It's because he stepped into your boat in order to teach a lesson.

Guest (Male): More of The Faith Walk with Pastor Jonathan Evans in a moment. Have you ever wondered what is God's plan for your life? Or do you feel like you're not sure what to do when you're struggling? Right now, Jonathan wants to give you a book called *Victory is Yours* with 100 uplifting devotions packed with scripture and daily motivations, helping you trust that your struggles aren't wasted in God's kingdom and he'll never leave you empty-handed.

This book is our gift to you as a thanks for your donation to help support the ministry of the Urban Alternative, including the book is Jonathan's four-part audio series, *The Message in the Miracles*. Discover how Jesus' miracles unlock victory, restoration, and deliverance in your crisis through active faith, obedience, and bold action. Both the devotional book *Victory is Yours* and the four-part audio series *The Message in the Miracles* are our way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible.

Get all the details online at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. Find your way out of distractions and into God's purpose for your life. Now, let's get back to Jonathan with the rest of today's message.

Jonathan Evans: How do you know, how did the preacher know what I was going to go through? Because he's preaching God's word and God has been watching you for a long time. He's been watching what you've been going through. He's been watching what you're dealing with. He's been watching what you're struggling with. So he wants to give you a lesson and he'll step into your business to give it. He wanted to teach you a lesson. He knew that you needed to hear a word.

He wants you to know that he's been watching your struggles. He knows you feel like a failure, that you're frustrated, that you've been trying to cast your net and that that thing has been coming up totally empty. And today he wants to give all of the Simons a word to make sure you know he's with you. And when he got into the boat, he told Simon, "Push a little bit away from the land so I can teach this lesson."

If he pushes a little bit away from the land, you know where that means he's located? In the shallow. In other words, he's teaching a lesson from shallow waters. This doesn't mean that the lesson is shallow. But it does mean as long as he's in the shallow, he will get no more than a lesson. There's a lot of people who like deep lessons from shallow places because the difference between the shallow and the deep was lesson versus experience.

Most people are satisfied with a lesson with no experience. You think that God is an ethereal spirit in never-never land that never operates in my here and now, and he's saying you have not left the shallow. The shallow is where the lesson is taught. The deep is where the lesson is experienced. And so we've got to make the adjustment. All the Simons who are frustrated and dealing with failure, he's giving you a lesson. But he's not giving you a lesson for lesson's sake.

He's trying to take you to a deeper experience of him. James 1:22 says, "Please don't just be a hearer of the word, but be a doer of the word lest you delude yourself, lest you delude your experience." The problem is this. The problem and the reason why we stay shallow is because he told Simon, "Go to the deep and cast your net." You know that's very problematic. You know why that's problematic? Because fishermen don't fish in the deep and fishermen don't fish during the day.

What Jesus told Simon to do was counterintuitive to all Simon's experiences. It was counterintuitive to his history. It was counterintuitive to everything that he knew and everything that he was comfortable with. So a lot of us have a problem not with it being a good word. It's that when the good word is trying to take us to a place we've never been. It's when the word is trying to push us to do something that we're uncomfortable with.

It's when the word is taking us outside of our history and our experiences to push us to Jesus' experiences. And we don't want to move because it's problematic. Jesus told him, "Go to the deep and cast your net." I know Simon was thinking, "Jesus, bro, you stick to preaching. I'm going to stick to this here fishing. Because you don't know what you're talking about. That's not how this thing works." How am I going to cast the net during the day?

Those fish are going to look at that net like, "Bro, what are you doing?" It's a linen net. I see you. And in the deep means once they see the net, they can swim deeper than the net can get deep. So the net can't catch them because they can just run away. The reason why we do this at night, Jesus, is because the net can get out there. They can be less suspicious of the net. And even if they try to swim lower, they haven't got anywhere to go before the net scoops them up.

Let me tell you, Jesus, how fishing works. And a lot of times we stay shallow because we want to tell the word how this is really supposed to work. Why is Jesus telling me to forgive somebody who didn't even forgive me for the same thing? Well maybe he's trying to get you to catch the peace you've been praying for. Why is Jesus trying to give me to give to a needy person when I myself have been in need? Well maybe he's trying to get you to catch the blessing you've been praying for.

Why is Jesus trying to tell me to use a gentle word in time of battle? Well maybe he's trying to get you to catch the harmony you've been praying for. Why is Jesus calling me to lead my family and I never had a blueprint? Well maybe he's trying to get you to catch the legacy that you've been praying for. Why is Jesus calling me to live in this simplicity? Maybe he's trying to get you to catch contentment. Why is Jesus calling me to preach the gospel in uncomfortable places?

Maybe because he's trying to get you to catch fish. And you can't have a catch unless you're willing to go outside of your experiences based on God's word. He's not concerned first with your comfort. He's concerned first with the calling of your catch. And most of us miss the catch because we'd rather catch the comfort. It's okay to feel a little skeptical but it's not okay to be still. And many of us are relying on our instincts and that's why our life stinks.

Because we want to stay in that comfort zone and God is trying to push us forward. He's calling you and I to the deep, a deeper experience of him. There's one thing when you get an invitation. It's another thing when there is application. If there is no application, there is no growth, no matter how emotional you got in church. I love Ecclesiastes chapter 12 because it starts talking to the preacher. The writing and reading of many books will make you weary.

Just tell the people to fear God and obey him. And if they learn to fear God and obey him, they will then be at the place where he already sent the fish. And he's telling Peter and he's telling all the Simons in the room. You're hearing a lesson. It's in shallow waters. It's a deep lesson, but it's in a shallow place. You have to take the lesson and you have to go to another place with it. And then what you do there is you take what I told you that's counterintuitive to your experiences and you fully drop anchor in that place.

Lower your nets down right there where I told you, because I've already sent your blessing that way. After he told him to go out there, Peter said, "Jesus, I've been fishing all night." In other words, "I don't want to keep doing this. I'm tired." Is there anybody in the room that's tired of fishing for the catch? Jesus is trying to get Peter to go do something else and he's like, "Yo, I'm done. I don't want to keep doing. I've been fishing, I haven't slept." That was a good message, but I need sleep.

It's hard when you're going through marital struggles and you've been doing it for a long time, or any type of struggle and you go to the counselor and the counselor says, "Listen here. I need you to do these assignments when you get home." You be like, "Bro, I didn't come here for any assignments. I came here for you to give me biblical grounds. I'm done. I'm tired. I don't want to keep going." Or my kids who do math and they can't get the answer right and they're tired and frustrated.

And then they go to Mom and Mom says, "Well try it this way." They be like, "Ugh, just give me a zero. Like, I don't want to pass. I just want to be done." Jesus will catch you in your fatigue and say one more thing. "I need you to take this lesson that was in your boat and I need you to apply it in your fatigue." Having faith doesn't mean you're not fatigued. It just means that you're going to do what he says in spite of your fatigue and frustration.

I'm just being real with you. I know some of you are fatigued and you're tired and you're hearing another message of Jesus in your situation and you're like, "Oh Lord, he's trying to get me to do something else that I don't want to do because I'm so fatigued." But Peter said, "I will do as you say." Look at verse five. Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But I will do as you say and let down the nets." Jesus is waiting for people to just say, "I will do as you say."

In spite of my experiences, in spite of my fatigue, in spite of my frustration, I am a fisherman with no fish. I have a net, I've got a boat, I've got the tools, but I'm empty. I'm going to have to take up my cross, deny myself, and follow Jesus. That was Pastor Jonathan Evans.

Guest (Male): Before you go today, I want to remind you that we have a couple of gifts for you. Jonathan's devotional called *Victory is Yours* and his four-part audio series, *The Message in the Miracles*. The devotional can be your go-to for facing trials with Jesus' power, vanquishing obstacles, and living victoriously by claiming Christ's cross as your own triumph.

You'll gain powerful reminders of His faithfulness to preserve towards His purpose for your life, plus practical steps and insights to win any battle. The audio series will equip you to shift focus to Jesus as your ultimate source, understanding obedient faith to let His breakthrough happen. Both the devotional called *Victory is Yours* and his four-part audio series *The Message in the Miracles* are a gift to you to thank you for your donation to help support the ministry of the Urban Alternative.

It's our way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible. Call 1-800-800-3222 anytime or get all the details online at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. Find your way out of distractions and into God's purpose for your life. Thank you for listening to The Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. The Faith Walk is produced as a part of the Urban Alternative, a ministry of Dr. Tony Evans.