2. It's a story where we see one moving from fruitlessness to fruitfulness.
It's a story where we see certain ones moving from the point of giving up to going out and going on.

3. It's a story that reminds us that God can do for us something that will amaze and astonish us.

4. VERSE 9 tells us that Peter and everyone with him were astonished at what the Lord did.
What's so thrilling about the story is that they were astonished at what the Lord did in a situation they had given up on

5. It's a story that reminds us that the Lord can do some amazing things for us.
 The key to seeing the Lord do astonishing things is found in the words of  VERSE 5:  "AT  THY WORD I WILL."

6. To put it simply, if we will, HE will.
Let's look at the text and let me show you what I'm talking about.

1. Now I must confess that I'm not an expert fisherman. I still have the dream of being able to mount on my wall a 10-12 pound bass.

2. Sometimes I feel like this fisherman named Fred. He and His friend Doylus were faithful fisherman.
The only thing was Doylus always caught fish, but Fred never did.  One morning Fred went by himself fishing.
 Fred made a long, upstream cast. As the fly floated downstream, a bass stuck his head up out of the water and asked, "where's Doylus?"

3. It seems everyone else catches the trophies and I catch the little baby fish.

4. The story here involves professional fisherman.  Yet, they had spent the night fishing and had caught nothing.
    Now these were trained fisherman. They were experienced fisherman.
    They knew how to fish and where to fish, BUT on this trip they had come up empty-handed.
   You could say they were discouraged fisherman.

A. THEIR DISCOURAGEMENT THAT IS DEMONSTRATED.

1. We read in VERSE 2: "And saw two ships standing by the
lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets."

2.  We see them "washing their nets."
 They were packing up for the night.
 They were calling it quits.

3. There are times in God's work that we feel like calling it quits.
     I doubt there's one here today that hasn't thought about quitting.
     Maybe there are some that have.

4. We get discouraged and want to give up our Sunday School Class, Singing in the Choir, Serving on this or that, ETC.
 I must be honest and say that there've been a  few times when I wished I was anything but a preacher.

5. Jeremiah the prophet wanted to quit.
    Elijah wanted to quit.
    Jonah tried to quit.
    One of the characters in our text, Peter, would in the future quit.

6. We all have wanted to wash our nets and call it quits.

B. THEIR DISCOURAGEMENT THAT IS DECLARED.

1. Peter's response to the Lord reveals a discouraged heart. We hear him saying in VERSE 5: "And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing..."

2. Peter was saying, "I DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS MUCH REASON OR HOPE TO TRY." Peter was feeling like it was a hopeless situation.

3. There may be some here who are discouraged and feel that something is a hopeless situation.
   Maybe you feel like that Sunday School Class is never going to grow or that what you're doing is having little affect.

4. Maybe you've been praying for someone or something and you've about got to the place where you fell like God is never going to hear and answer your prayer.

5. Maybe you're going through a dark period of time in your life and you've about come to the conclusion that nothing is going to ever change.

6. That's where these fishermen were and that may be where you are.
 We've all been to a place like that.
  You may be there now.

1. Into a frustrating and discouraged scene we see Jesus stepping into the picture.
We read that Jesus entered into a ship and for a while taught the people.
Then He turned to Peter with specific instrucitions

A. WHAT JESUS SAID TO PETER.

1. We read in VERSE 4 THAT JESUS SAID TO PETER:
"Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught."

2.  Jesus gave Peter specific instructions.
 Peter isn't alone. The LORD has given US specific instructions about certain matters.

3. This Bible that I hold in my hand is God's instructions to me and to us as a Church.
It tells us what we're to do and to be.

4. You could call the Bible the Laws of HEAVEN for Life on EARTH.
It's our instruction manual for the Christian LIfe.

5. When I want to know what I'm to be as a Christian, this BIBLE tells me.
    When I want to know what I should do as a Christian, this BIBLE tells me.

6. When WE as a Church want to know what WE should be, this BIBLE tells us.
    When we as a Church want to know what we should be doing, this is our source of learning.

B. WHAT JESUS SOUGHT FROM PETER.

1. Notice again in VERSE 5 Peter's response to the instructions Jesus gave him:  "And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net."

2.  Peter may have had his doubts about what the Lord was asking him to do, but he said, "nevertheless, at thy WORD I will."

3. That was all Jesus wanted from Peter.
    All He sought was his Obedience.
   All He asked for was his compliance.

4. That's all the LORD wants from us.
   He asks nothing more and accepts nothing less.
   He just wants us to do what HE tells us to do.

5. When the Lord speaks our answer ought to be "Yes Lord."
   When the Lord tells us to do something we should obey Him.

6. As a Church, the thing that should be of great interest to us is what the Lord has told us to do.
   If there's something He told us to do, we should see to it that we do it.

1. If you notice carefully in VERSE 4 that Jesus told him he was about to catch a haul (DRAUGHT) of fish.

2. I'm not sure Peter caught that part, but the Lord was saying, IF YOU WILL, I WILL.

NOTICE:
A. HOW THRILLING THE MIRACLE.

1. Notice what happened. Look at VERSES 6-7:
[6] "And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
[7] And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should  come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink."

2.  Do you want to know why we don't find ourselves in more sinking ships and with broken nets?
HERE'S THE REASON!
                       IF I WILL, HE WILL.

3. If we as a Church want to get in on a CATCH like that, WE have to DO what the LORD tells us to do.

4. I believe God wants us to get in some sinking ships, have some broken nets, and experience a haul of fish.

B. HOW TRUTHFUL THE MAN.

1. Notice how Peter reacted to this thrilling miracle:
Luke 5:8 "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

2. Why did he act the way he did?
NOTICE VERSE 9:
"For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:"

3. What he saw happen made him aware of how unbelieving and untrusting he'd been.

4. It's like Peter is saying, "Lord, forgive me for not believing you."

5. What would you like to see the Lord do?
    What is it that you need to see the Lord do?

 REMEMBER-
                    IF YOU WILL, HE WILL.