September 25, 2016
Scripture:
In Exodus 10:23, we read about the darkness that could be felt. However, read Acts 26:18. Paul turned them the darkness to light. We are now the children of light!
Hymn 350 - I will make you fishers of men
Prayer
Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all fishermen in the Bible. They didn’t do it for fun, it was their job. There are many different ways to fish: with a rod and reel, fly fishing, and more. In Bible times they fished with a net. That way, you could catch a lot of fish at once, instead of just one at a time.
Our hymn spoke of being fishers of men. You don’t need hooks and a net for that: instead you try to persuade men to believe in God. There are many differences between these two types of fishing: why you fish, what bait you use, the fact that fish don’t have souls while men do, and much more. The big difference, though, is that fish die when you catch them, but men live when you catch them. Men are dead in their sins, and they come to life when God “catches” them.
Luke 5:1-11
The Lord preached and lived around Lake Genesaret (the Sea of Galilee). Here we see Him at the start of His ministry, and He was looking for some disciples; some helpers. Simon Peter and his friends would catch more in their nets than just fish, so they were by the lake washing them out. Jesus jumped into Simon’s boat and asked him to push it out from shore a bit to give him a pulpit to speak to the multitude from. It would have worked very well.
Once Jesus was done speaking, He told Simon to go out and catch a big haul of fish. He said to go into deep water, and that’s sometimes where we find ourselves when serving the Lord. You’ll notice that Jesus told Simon to let down the “nets”; meaning more than one.
Simon was a professional fishermen; and he knew that fishing was better at night. He and the others had been out all night, but he had to admit to Jesus that they had caught nothing. He didn’t want to be totally contrary to the Lord, so he said, “I’ll let down the net.” Only one! That’s not what Jesus told him to do; He had said “nets”. However, they went out, let down the one net, and caught so many fish that the net broke. They filled two boats so full of fish that they started to sink, and knew that a miracle had happened.
Simon realized that Jesus was the Lord, that he controlled the fish, and that he had made this miracle happen. If Jesus could do that, then He also knew that Simon was a bad man. So Simon got as close to the Lord as he could—he fell at Jesus’ feet—and then asked Him to leave. He knew that he needed the Lord, but that the Lord didn’t need him. He felt his sin, but also felt that the Lord could do anything.
Simon and his partners were astonished at the miracle. Jesus called them to follow Him and catch men, and they left all and did just that. They had found something more important than their fish and boats. They were attracted to the Lord, just as our hearts should be. Jesus can make us fishers of men, too.
Colossians 2:4-15
We’ve been discussing how the mystery has brought us into the family of believers. Verse two holds the key- “all riches of the full assurance of understanding.” Then in verse three we find that the mystery was hiding the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We find that one truth hinges on another. Paul wants them to see the value of the riches. He wants them to have them, understand them, and live them out.
Chapter two is full of warnings. They are found in verse 4, 8, 16, 18. They’re things someone may do to cause us to give up and leave Christianity, and look for treasure in the wrong place. But we have something to hold. May we see the truth and have the grace to hold fast. There are young people who have grown up in Christian homes, and then they go off to college. In a few weeks, their professor has taken all that they’ve learned away. It’s something we can lose if we don’t sense its value.
In verse four we are warned of men beguiling us with enticing words. Darby used the word delude for beguile. It means deceive. To say people are deluded is not really a compliment. When God was writing through Paul, He warned us of the method that Satan uses. We hear of men who fall away, and we wonder how it happened. There once was a Bible-believing evangelist who became an atheist based on his own opinions and feelings. How could he give all of this up? Our enemy is so powerful and would love to take us out. We are told to beware. Brethren, beware. It is one thing to go to meeting and get with different groups, but if the truth is not internalized it’s not going to stay with you. There was a tornado that went through the Rockway area and several trees were taken down. You could see that these trees only had surface roots. Roots of trees hold them so they remain stable and healthy. We must be rooted in Christ. If you buy a tree from the store, when they delivered it to you, you’ll find that they have cut off all the tap roots. You’ll have to feed it root booster so it won’t die when you plant it. Do we have tap root that goes down or do we need “root booster”?
When you read in Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all the Children of Israel had gone off into wrong doing. That’s not what had happened with the Colossians. According to vv. 5 - 7, they were continuing on in Christ. But Paul gives them the warnings. People can appear to be rooted and grown up, but later it’s found they’re easily blown over. Darby uses “persuasive words” instead of “enticing words.”
Now Paul couldn’t get there to minister to them, but he was there in spirit. He was glad there was order. We see in different places in the Bible God has told of an order for meetings. There are some who have left that order today, and we find women in pulpits. Do we behave orderly according to scripture? The Colossians appear to have been solid. They trusted in Christ. They were steadfast.
In verse six Paul’s say, “Now that you’ve received Christ - walk in Him.” This is walk according to truth. May we walk for His honour and glory. The mystery has been given to us in wisdom and knowledge, and we are to be rooted and built up in Christ.
Hymn 91 - On Christ salvation rests secure
Prayer