Sunday Worship Service January 7, 2024

Call to Worship Isaiah 55:11
Hymn JBC # 3 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
Prayer Time
The Lord’s Prayer
Offering
Scripture Luke 5:1~11
Prayer
Sermon “But because you say so”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 506 ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus
Doxology JBC # 672
Benediction
Postlude

We are worshipping today at our first Sunday service of the new year (2024). Let us cherish our worship in the new year too, listening to God's Word together and sharing God's Word through worship.
Today's bible passage is the first part of Luke Ch.5. Today's passage is the scene where Jesus makes Simon (Peter), and James and John His disciples.
　This scene of the first disciples being called by Jesus to become his disciples is also recorded in Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20.
　In those two passages (the passages in Matthew and Mark), it is stated relatively simply that Jesus called Simon and the others who were fishing, "Follow me," and they immediately followed him.

　　However, today's passage in Luke 5 describes an event not described in Matthew and Mark.
The story is about fishermen who fished all night and caught nothing, but when Jesus told them to fish again (at noon), they caught a huge amount of fish. Let us listen together to God's message through this passage.
　Jesus is standing by Lake Gennesaret. Lake Gennesaret is also called Lake Tiberias or Lake Galilee.
　As Jesus stood by the lake, the crowd surrounded Him to hear the voice of God.
Until then, Jesus had cast out evil spirits from those who were possessed by them and healed people suffering from various illnesses. Many people came to Jesus asking him to heal them of their illnesses or cast out evil spirits.

　In today's passage, however, the large crowd surrounded Jesus in order to “listen to the word of God.” Some in the crowd might have expected Jesus to heal the sick or cast out demons.
　　However, the most important thing Jesus wanted to share with people was the Word of God. The removal of suffering from disease and evil spirits was also an important work that Jesus did.
But still, Jesus' entire ministry was centered on making people aware of the Word of God, the gospel (good news) of the Kingdom of God.
When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness in Luke 4, even though he was extremely hungry, Jesus countered the devil with the biblical words, "Man does not live by bread alone (man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord).
Jesus traveled from place to place, healing people's illnesses, casting out demons, and healing people's suffering, while he continued his ministry of bringing the Word of God to the people.

And those who came in contact with Jesus must have gradually begun to understand what he was doing.
Gradually, people came to realize that “the most important thing he gives us is the Word of God.”
Thus, in today's passage, the crowd has gathered around Jesus to "listen to the word of God" from him.
　We too come to church with the desire to hear the Word of God. At first, we may have come to church for a variety of reasons and thoughts.

　　Some of you may have come to attend church because of the warm atmosphere, the feeling of something sacred different from the norm, or the wonderful music.
However, the center of the church is still always Jesus Christ and His Word (the Word of God). The Word of God is the treasure that we, the church, have received.
And people still gather in churches, after all, with the primary desire to listen to the Word of God (the Word, or the Gospel, which means the same thing).
Although the Word of God can be spoken throughout our worship services and through fellowship by faith (in other ways than actual words), the most obvious form in which the Word of God is spoken in the church is first the pastor's sermon (message).
　When I think about it, I am reminded once again that the pastor is charged with the task of speaking God's word, something that cannot be done by a human being, and it makes me feel very solemn.
Therefore, I would like to ask everyone to pray for your pastor so that I will not speak my own thoughts and ideas that are not the Word of God.
We gather in church because we believe that God will speak to us today, at this time. When we gather with that expectation and hope in faith, God will surely speak the words we need to hear today.
Let us be nourished by the Word of God and let us receive the strength to live each day by the Word of God.

　　In today's passage, the crowd was surrounding Jesus and listening to the Word of God, but there were people fishing nearby (to be exact, they had finished fishing and were washing their nets).
　They were Simon (who later received the name Peter from Jesus), James and John, who became Jesus' first disciples.
　　While Jesus was speaking the Word of God to the people, they were washing fishing nets. Meaning that they were doing their job.
　We may get an impression that Simon and the others here are people who are still less interested in Jesus than the crowd that surrounded him and listened to the Word of God.
　　They, too, may have wanted to hear Jesus speak, but they had a job to do at the time.
　Simon and his friends probably did not yet think at this time that the Word of God that Jesus was speaking was something they would have to listen to by interrupting their job.

Jesus approached such Simon. Faith always begins with a call from God.
Jesus told Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
　What Jesus said was against the common practice of fishing. For fishing was to be done at night. And on that day (night), Simon and his friends could not catch any fish at all so they were already washing their nets.
　Simon then replied, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
　​​In the previous passage from Luke 4:38, Simon's mother-in-law was healed of her illness by Jesus. Therefore, Simon had seen healing by Jesus once.
　So Simon would have known that Jesus had special powers. But he may have also taken pride in the fact that he was the expert when it came to fishing.

So, he said "we have already fished all night. (Fishing is done at night.) But we didn't catch anything”
In his heart, Simon must have thought to Jesus, "Sir, you may know a lot about the Bible and God, but you don't know anything about fishing.
　I believe that such a figure of Simon is applicable to us today.

It means that although we believe in Jesus and value the Word of God, our faith is not really connected to our daily real life.
　Isn’t it that our faith in hearing God's word is confined to the church only?
Rather, does the Word of God govern all areas of our lives: job (at workplace), study (at school), and home?
I think Simon's words here pose such a question for us.

　　But Simon then added: He obeyed what Jesus said.
But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

　　Although he probably did not expect to catch fish very much, Simon (Peter) must have also felt the special power of Jesus' words. He obeyed Jesus' words.
　Then so many fish were caught and the net almost broke. Another boat came, and the two boats were filled with fish.
　By obeying Jesus' words, they were able to catch an unthinkable amount of fish at noon, when fish were not supposed to be caught.
　Simon then said.
　“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
　　At first Simon called Jesus "Master (Teacher)”. By doing so, he was giving Jesus a certain amount of respect, but Jesus was not yet "Lord" over Simon's whole life and his life.
　But when he saw the power of Jesus' words, and the miracles that were given through obedience to those words, Simon had no choice but to call Jesus "Lord.
　Up to that point, Simon had respected Jesus and recognized his special power, but his center was still in his own. "I am the expert on fishing.Even Jesus does not know about fishing" he thought.
　But Simon understood (and believed) here. “This is my Lord. This is the One who controls everything in my life, including my work, and I must receive Him as the center of myself.”
　Let us today, together with Simon (Peter), renew our commitment to listen to Jesus' words, God's words, first and foremost, and to obey God's words.

　　Jesus also said this in another passage
(Matthew 6:33)
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

　　Let us listen to God's word, know God's will, and seek God's kingdom and His righteousness every day.
We are given all that we need (what we desire) by grace and blessing through a life of listening to God's word and practicing the God's word. That is the Bible’s promise.