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SPECIAL SUNDAY SERVICE WITH PASTOR (DR) MENSA OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER, INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) CHRIST TEMPLE, ACCRA GHANA)
TOPIC: LAUNCH OUT – PART 4 (A GREAT HARVEST)
DATE: 19TH MARCH, 2023
BIBLE TEXT: LUKE 5: 1-7 (NKJV)
Let us rise up together as we make our “DECLARATION OF GATHERING” in this “YEAR OF GATHERING”.
Are you ready? Say with me:
I Proclaim Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. The Lord is the Shepherd of my Soul, my Shelter by Day, my Light by Night.
In His Name, we Plough our fields, by His Spirit we gather the Harvest, in His Light we seek and find.
In this Year of Gathering, the Lord of the Harvest has commanded: Launch Out into the Deep. At His Words, we cast our Nets, we gather in Souls and Substance for God’s Kingdom.
The Lord is our Reward; in this Season I received God’s Portion set aside for me: Full Measure, Pressed down, Shaking together and running over.
Nothing is Lost and Nothing is wasted in Jesus Name – Amen!
We are looking at the Series ^Launch Out” and we are in Part 4 of Launch Out. And the Sub Title is: “A Great Harvest”.
And our Bible Text is: Luke 5: 1-7 (NKJV)
1. So it was, as the Multitude Pressed about Him to hear the Word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,
2. And saw two boats standing by the Lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.
3. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
4. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5. 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.”
6. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
7. So they signaled to their Partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
I will be focusing on Verses 6 and 7 – Luke 5: 6-7:
6. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
7. So they signaled to their Partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
There is a Direct Link between obeying God’s Instructions and receiving God’s Rewards.
When we do what the Lord tells us to do, we received what the Lord has Promised for us to receive!
So, anytime God wants to give us some things – He wants to give us an Instruction. And that is what God does – His Blessings usually come to us in the form of Instructions.
Jesus wanted to bless Peter and for Him to do that, He has to receive from Peter – He received his Boat and from his boat, He Preached. And for that, He needed to reward Peter for what Peter had given Him.
It is similar to you coming to Church and Giving an Offering to God.
How is God going to bless you afterwards? – That is what Jesus Christ did. He didn’t just rain fish from Heaven for Peter; He issued an Instruction. And within that Instruction was the Blessings.
So, usually after you have given to the Lord, you have served Him and Honour Him; His Blessings are going to come to you in the form of an Instructions.
And so we read that Peter obeyed the Instructions – And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their Net was breaking.
Two (2) things that I want you to Note:
1. Obedience – When they had done this.
Literally, in the Greeks Language it is: “After doing this” – After letting down their Net as instructed by the Lord. Because Obedience cannot be Substituted, and Obedience is better than Sacrifice.
I. You cannot disobey God and hope that Worshipping Him will cover your disobedience.
II. You cannot disobey God and you hope that if you give more Offerings, it will cover your disobedience.
Jesus Christ said to Peter – Launch Out into the Deep and let down your Net for a Catch.
And he (Peter) had to obey that Instruction. The Bible said that after they had done this – Obeyed!
2. The Second Thing that you see is Rewards/Results – They caught a large number of fishes.
After the Obedience – Not before the Obedience; they caught a Great number of fishes.
If there is anything that you are going to learn today – It is those two (2) words – Obedience and Rewards/Results.
The Lesson we learnt is that Rewards/Results completes our Process of Obedience.
Obedience is a Process – It begins with receiving Instructions, Understanding the Instructions, Determining to act on the Instructions, Acting on the Instructions and seeing all the Activities through to the end.
… Obedience must be Complete and not Partial.
Jesus Christ started the Process but Peter finished it. Jesus Christ gave the Instructions, Peter obeyed it – That is the Complete Cycle.
And it is when that Cycle is completed that we received the Rewards of God!
You know, many times we want God to bless us, especially for most of us in this Part of the world – We think that “Intense Prayer” is the only thing that we need to do.
So, when Life is hard, we Pray and when it gets harder, we Pray harder and when it get hardest, we Pray the hardest. But we never stopped to ask.
Is there something that God is telling me to do because “Long Prayers” cannot be Substituted for Obedience.
If God tells you to do something and you don’t do it; no matter how long you Pray; there will be no Rewards!
It is not about how long you Prayed but how well you obeyed.
And Peter had to obey what the Lord said to him: “Nevertheless” – He obeyed.
Where we are in our walk with God is based on our Last Place of Obedience – That is very important for us to Note.
You know, many times we look at our lives and realised that it’s being a long time since you have been happy or that you see a Powerful works of God or Miracles. And you think that I need to Fast a little bit or Pray a little bit more.
But most of the times, your Last Place of Happiness was yoir Last Place of Obedience – The Last time you obeyed God is the Last time that you have Happiness.
And if you stop obeying Him – You can come to Chuurch all you want, Pray all you want, win all the Souls in the world to Jesus Christ but if you don’t obey the Instructions that He gave you, there will be no Reward.
Samuel said to Saul – Obedience is better than Sacrifice.
You can bring all the fattest ram to God, but if you disobey Him; it is not going to help you.
And that is what we learnt between Jesus Christ and Peter – Peter learnt Obedience.
So, how did this Magnificient Miracle happened – We will look at the Nature of the Miracle.
Now obviously, this Miracle that we are talking about in Luke Chapter 5 is what we called – “A NATURE MIRACLE”.
And when we said that something is a “Nature Miracle”; it means that God uses the Forces of Nature to work out the Miracle
So there is water, there is the Sea of Galilee – Lake Gennesaret was there.
God did not empty and bring another water into Lake Gennesaret, He didn’t Change it to something else – It is the same Lake Gennesaret.
The fish they caught was directly in the Sea – They were not manufactured Freshly from Heaven and dump in the Sea.
You know sometimes we give Biblical Interpretation that makes the Bible look like “Magical Conjunction” – As if God brought fish from another River and dump them there.
No, the fish was already there but they are just in a Wrong Location.
So, same water, same fish, same boat that went to the Sea last Night and came back with Nothing; same Net that caught Nothing and same Fisherman.
So, all the ingredients that failed yesterday are Present today. But God worked something out and that System that failed Previously; refigured the situation and everything that didn’t work yesterday began to work today.
1. He didn’t bring any New Instructions – The only New Introduction is the Word of God!
So if you look at the Process, we can say that God’s Word came and it created Movements – God’s Word gathered the fishes in the right Place.
Normally, in the Lake of Gennesaret, the fish in the Lake will go to the lower Part of the Lake during the Daytime and they will leave the Shore and go to the Deeper Part of the water.
And that is why Peter felt that it is not going to work in the Morning because the fish are there but they are not available. But God’s Word was able to create the Movement.
And when God’s Word create Movement, things that are wrongly Positioned would be moved into the right Position.
May God create Movements in your Life – Amen!
I. The Money is there but it has moved.
II. The Promotion is there but it has moved.
III. Your Husband is there but he has to move.
IV. Your Wife is there but she has to move.
All you need is Movement!
And that is what God is doing – He is not Changing the Lake, He is not manufacturing new fish, but He is only moving things.
That is why the Bible says that God makes all things work together.
May God cause Movements in your Life because:
I. Everything that you need to have a “Happy Life” is already Present.
II. Everything that you need for a Breakthrough is there.
III. Everything that you need for a Miracle is there.
… Its not going to come from Heaven.
2. Not only that God’s Word created Movements, God’s Word secondly Provide an Insight – It showed where the fish were gathered.
So, it is one thing that God’s Word is creating Movements – There is a Movement: The fish is gathered in the West, you are fishing in the East.
So, Movements has been created but you have no Insight, no Knowledge, no Know-How as to where they are. And Jesus Christ uses His Words to do both – Created Movements and gave Insights.
He said to Peter – Launch Out into the Deep.
Like I said earlier that when Jesus Christ said: Launch Out into the Deep, He gestured where He was telling them to go. Because normally, when you are telling Someone to go somewhere; you Point to where they must go.
So, Jesus Christ’s Words gathered the fish, His Words gave them Direction as to where the fish is – And these two (2) are important.
May the Lord cause His Words to gather for you and may the Lord give you the Knowledge as to where the Gathering is taking Place – Amen.
Because if you are Praying for an Husband and God gathers the Husband and he is in the First Service and he is sitting somewhere – You must know where he is seated to go and sit by him.
So, God has gathered the Person but you must have an Insight, the Knowledge of God to know where the Gathering is taking Place.
That is what Jesus Christ did for Peter:
I. The fish were gathered. Where are they? There!
II. The Money is coming. Where is it? There!
III. My Breakthrough is coming. Who has it? Him!
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God’s Word created the opportunity for the Gathering but that is not where it ends – God’s Word goes ahead and give you an Insight as to where the Resources is located.
3. But there is a third Factor – Peter experienced Equipment Compliance to catch the fish.
The fish may be there but if you have no Boat, you have no Net and you don’t know how to fish, the Miracle can be gathered at your Location and you won’t be able to Harvest it.
So, there is a God’s Side of it and there is a Peter’s Side of it.
Peter’s Experience was important – Although it failed him yesterday, it worked for him.
I. If he wasn’t a Fisherman, he couldn’t catch that fish.
II. If he didn’t have a Boat, he couldn’t catch that fish.
III. And if he had not complied, he couldn’t have catch the fish.
You know many times we say: God will bless me anyhow. And sometimes, we want to show the immensity of God’s Power and the Sovereignty of God and some say things like: if God wants to give me, I will get it; if God wants me to be blessed, I will be blessed.
I Valued that Statement but sometimes it is an Incomplete Statement.
Because some Blessings God wants to give you, you need a Boat for it – And the Boat may be Education, you need Net for it and the Net may be that you must smell Good. You are trying to catch the fish but the scent is repelling the fish.
So, you may say that I have Prayed and Prayed but God has not brought the fish – He told you where the fish was but your Equipment did not help you to take Advantage of what God is giving to you.
Sometimes, it could be your Quarrelsome Nature that is the Bad Net that can’t catch the fish – God brings you Breakthrough, you frightened them; God gives you a wife, you say: Look at her, when they call women, you too you are showing up. Bad Behaviour!
So, three (3) Factors are working – God’s Word that creates Movements and Insights. And then Peter’s Experience – Years of Paddling a Boat, using Nets, Compliances and being able to say: Yes Lord!
All of those Factors come together to make God’s Word, Providing Movements and Direction of work.
Because if he didn’t have those Factors, the Miracle will happen but he will not Harvest it.
I. Have you ever thought that there may be fish swimming around you that God has put you in the midst of what you are Praying for but your Net is not Catching anything.
II. Have you ever thought that there has been many “God give it to me” but “God has actually Prepared me for it” – Is that a Possibility?
Because when we don’t have, we say “Give me”.
Maybe:
I. God has already given you but you are still at the Shore because you don’t have a Boat.
II. Or you are in the Boat, the fish is in the water but you have no Net.
III. Or you have a Net but the Net is too heavy and you have no Partners to help you to pull the Net from the water.
So many Factors – It is not always God’s Word; sometimes it is Man’s word.
My Final and very Important Observation – Miracles can both Solve Problems and Create Problems – So, we see a Great Harvest and then New Problems!
After Solving the Problem of “Catching Nothing”; now they have a Problem of “Catching Too Much”.
Many times, we move from the Problem of having Nothing to a Problem of having “Too Much”.
For Example, a Single Person is having a Problem of “No One” but now facing the Problem of Somebody – You look at your wife and say: I am happier when I was Single.
So you are Catching Nothing – And you say Lord I want to catch and now He gives you Harvest and you are now catching “Too Much”.
And now, everything is breaking loose around you because of God’s Abundance and God’s Supply.
God’s Favour usually revealed your Weakness and your Inadequacies.
So, let us see what happened – Two (2) Main Problems happened after they caught the fishes:
1. Failing Systems – Their Net was breaking!
Their Net did not break because if the Net broke, they will loose all the fishes – But the Net began to break!
In other words, the System they used to catch the fish was Stretched to its Capacity and couldn’t handle what is happening!
You know sometimes, God can bless you so much that your Systems can’t handle it – You got God’s “Little Help” so much you go through a Pain.
Now, you are dealing with People of High Levels and your English must match them, your Communication must match them, your Table Manners must match all of that.
Then you realised: No, when I was Nobody eating alone; I don’t have any Inferiority Complex. Now, I’m sitting by these Pool of People and I am feeling inadequate – Then your Net is Breaking!
You have to manage the Breaking Net to hold the fish!
I. Sometimes in a Church, you can grow so much that your System will be failing.
II. A Marriage can be blessed and the System can be failing.
III. You have so many children, your System is failing.
Don’t throw away the Blessings – You have to manage the Failure of the System.
So, what did Peter and Co do? The Bible says that they beckoned or Signalled to their Partners.
Remember that at the beginning of the Story, there were two (2) boats – Jesus Christ settled for Peter’s Boat.
So, Peter’s Boat is the one on the Sea; the second Boat is on the Shore – And most likely belongs to James and John.
So, Peter waved frantically – Trouble, Trouble, Trouble.
So, the second Boat with James and John, set out from the Shore and went to Peter’s Boat – The Net is full of fishes and it is failing.
And if they pull it up, the Net is going to break – The weight of the fish cannot be handled by the Net.
You know, you learn all these from Childhood and you don’t take time to Study it – So, I always thought that when the other Fisherman or the Second Boat came, they came to help them Pull the Net.
But if the Net is breaking because of the fishes; then if more People come to Pull it, that Net will break.
So, they didn’t come to help Pull the Net; they come to help them to catch the fishes.
So, the fishes in the Net, the other guys came and they started scooping up the fish into the Boat so that the Net will not break.
So, when they scoop, they started Parking the fish and put in the Boat to lessen the Pressure in the Net,
They moved the fish from the Net to the Boat – That is what happened!
2. Movement of the fishes to the Boat created Problem No 2 – They have the System Failing.
Now, they have “Overburdened Struccture” – Their Boat began to sink.
From one Problem to the Other – From Net to Boat and the Boat was also Overburdened.
I mean that it is a Good Thing to have a Good Problem:
I. It is like when a Church grows so large that you don’t have a P.lace to Park cars. It is a Good Problem but it is a Problem.
II. When a Church grows so large and there are Pick Pockets in the Church because all kinds of fish are caught into this Net.
So, Somebody comes to Church and his hands up, Worshipping God and Somebody hands is down there Picking up.
So, if you don’t manage it well; even though it is not the Pastor’s Problem but a System Weakness. And they may decide not to come to Church again.
So, you have to learn to manage both the Structured System that is Overburdened and the System that is Failing – You don’t dump the fish in the water because it is creating you a Problem.
The Blessings from God, the Abundance from God – But it is challenging your System, it is challenging your Capacity and you are trying to manage it.
And in the Last Part of this Series – Part 5; we will see what Peter did when he saw the Boat sinking.
I mean he is not afraid for his Life because he is a Fisherman – And so he can swim. Then Jesus Christ of course could walk on the water.
So Nobody Life is in danger.
The only thing that will happen if the boat sinks is that all their Hardwork will be lost – They will go back to Square One!
… We have toiled All-Night long and caught Nothing. And so they will now say: Also we have toiled the whole Morning and lost everything.
May that never be your Story – Amen.
When God gives you an Harvest, your Net will be Stretched, your Boat will be overloaded; yet you will get the Harvest to the Shore – Amen!
… And that is what happened to Peter – He got his Harvest to the Shore!
This Morning or as you read now on the Label ; as we reflect on this Supernatural Encounter between Jesus Christ and Peter; we just want to think about our lives Obedience!
ALTAR CALL
The first Point of Obedience we want to Pray for is for everyone here or reading now on the Label of THIS BLOG; who has not received Jesus Christ in their Hearts as their Lord and Saviour.
If you are here now or reading now on the Label of THIS BLOG and you say: Pastor, I want to leave all for Jesus Christ. I want Jesus Christ to be my Lord, I want to be Born Again, I want my sins to be Forgiven, I want New Life in Christ.
If that is your desire, lift up your hands wherever you are.
Put your hands upon your Heart and say: Heavenly Father, I come to You today just as I am. I am a Sinner, I need Jesus, I asked You Jesus to come into my Life, I want to serve You, I want to obey You, I want to live for You – Be my Lord and Saviour.
I surrender my Life to You. All am asking is for You to guide me by Your Words, and by Your Spirit throughout the rest of my Life.
In Your Name I Pray – Amen!
The rest of us who wants to Pray, let us Stand for a Minute as we Pray:
I just want to agree with you over three (3) things:
1. That God’s Word will come to you.
Whatever you are looking for and Praying for; God will speak a Word into that situation; that everything that has scattered will be gathered; that the thing you are looking for will gather around you.
2. That God will guide you to where the Gathering is taking Place.
3. That God will equip you with everything that is needed to take Advantage of every opportunities He has created for you.
Can you Pray with me on these Prayers!
Put your hands on your Chrst as we Pray!
CLOSING PRAYER
Father Thank You that You are the “God of More Than Enough” and we read in the Scriptures today and we see that You are here and we know the Awesomeness of Your Presence.
That in a very “Hopeless Situation”; Jesus Christ the Word of God will be made Flesh over you all my brothers and sisters.
This Morning, that Your Word will come into their situation, that whatever their desires or thoughts, that whatever they are seeking for, that whatever they are Praying for; let Your Word come on them Lord in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Give them a Word – A Word directly to bring about Movements, a Gathering. Wherever the Miracles may be, let it gather in one Place for them.
And Father, give them a Word of Direction, speak to them in their Hearts, speak to their Minds, speak to them from the Scriptures, let them hear your Voice, let them have a Sense of Direction and Purpose that they will move to the Places where the Gathering has taken Place.
And Father, as they are going, cause every Experience of their lives, the Equipment of their lives, the Knowledge they have acquired, their Education, everything they know from their Past; let it work in their Advantage.
That they will take Advantage of this “Great Harvest” that is coming to them, for everybody here today or reading now on the Label of THIS BLOG – This Year (2023); you will Launch Out into the Deep, you will let down your Net and there will be a “Massive Touch”.
And your Boat will not capsized and your Net will not break.
Your Harvest will be Protected and your Harvest will be Safe.
In Jesus Name – Amen! Amen!! and Amen!!!
