26 June 2022: Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity

Service available on Youtube, or as text (below), or for audio see the Podcasts page.

Welcome

Worship

Testimony

A young chap, let’s call him David, asked me to pray for him last Sunday and upon enquiring what he wanted prayer for he shared his testimony with me of how he was once part of a drugs gang, was in an affair with a married woman, and how generally his life was in a mess. But then, someone he met on the streets, talked to him about Jesus and encouraged him to attend church, which he did. For a few weeks he thought they were all very strange people but then Jesus met with him and radically turned his life around. He still has his struggles but is definitely progressing in the right direction, and his prayer request was that he would be enabled to continue to follow Jesus all the days of his life. God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is still working in power to save those who are bound in all sorts of ways, Amen.

Word

Please read: Luke 5:1-11

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”

Luke 5:5

This is a remarkable account of Jesus calling His first disciples. This is a key moment. The NIV begins this passage with “One day …” which we could use to begin many a narrative, however, when Jesus is the focus, when He is at the centre, it’s never just a normal day, He has come to give us life to the full and life to the full it truly is!

The crux of the passage is found here in our text, Peter and his partners in the fishing trade have worked hard all night and have caught nothing. In the passage in John 15 Jesus is teaching the disciples that He is the vine and they are the branches and apart from Him they can do nothing:

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

We all have to come to that place were we not only say the words but we know it to the depth of our being, that apart from Him we can do nothing. This is actually a great place to be, it’s not an easy experience to go through but as the old saying goes, “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” We have to get out of the way.

In this passage there are two different words used for word, ‘logos’ and ‘rhema’ In Luke 5:1 we see: “the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God”. The people were so keen to hear the word [‘logos’] of God they were pressing against Him [wouldn’t it be great to see that on Sundays people pressing in to churches to hear the word of God!]

I understand ‘logos’ to mean the whole of the Scriptures. However, the ‘rhema’ is the spoken word of God e.g. in our text ‘rhema’ is used. In Matt. 4:4 Jesus answered the devil: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word [‘rhema’] that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” This is significant because the devil goes on to quote Scriptures from the ‘logos’ of God, (Matt. 4:5-6; Psalm 91:11-12), but it wasn’t the ‘rhema’ of God which Jesus quotes from Deut.6:16. This is why we need to be in a close and intimate relationship with Jesus so that we can hear His words to us,

If you abide in Me, and My words [‘rhema’] abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

John 15:7

The difference Jesus spoken word made to Simon and his colleagues was phenomenal as they obeyed and acted upon it. From nothing to an absolute abundance, Amen

Verse of the week

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20

Quote of the week

“No revival can continue with the blessing of God upon it that does not have a high standard of holiness”

Donald Gee

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, in Jesus Christ, Speak, Thy Servant Heareth; Be Not Silent, Lord!
Waits My Soul Upon Thee For The Quickening Word, Amen!