January 15, 2020
Do Not Be Afraid to Trust God
Luke 5:1–16
Katherine McMordie
Central Truth
Jesus is trustworthy. He demonstrates His faithfulness time and time again.
Key Verse | Luke 5:10b-11
"Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Luke 5:1–16
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 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. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 1 5:10 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. 2 5:12 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus 3 5:13 Greek he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
Dive Deeper | Luke 5:1–16
There is so much to unpack in these 16 verses. We see a range of emotions from Simon (aka Simon Peter, aka Peter). We may not all be professional fishermen today, but Simon Peter still manages to be very relatable with his workplace mood. After Peter's long, unsuccessful night at work, Jesus asks him to once again let out the nets. I can imagine Simon Peter reluctantly rolling his eyes and following Jesus' direction out of obligation, doubtful that any fish will be caught.
Then, as the nets fill with fish, Simon Peter falls down at Jesus' knees and declares himself an unworthy sinner. Jesus responds to Simon Peter with grace, telling him to not be afraid and calling him to be His disciple. Simon Peter responds by leaving everything and following Him. That's trusting God.
How many times have I doubted God's goodness or instruction or provision in my life only to have Him provide with abundance? When I go to Him feeling like an unworthy sinner because of my lack of trust, Jesus meets me with the same grace that He extended to Simon Peter. God tells us time after time in the Bible to not be afraid.
As a person who struggles with fear and anxiety, reading God's promises that He is with me and that I do not need to fear builds my faith. I often let fear and lack of trust hold me back from fully leaving everything behind to follow Jesus. Leaving my comfort zone and giving up my sense of control feels scary. But then I remember Who is asking this of me, and how trustworthy He is.
God demonstrates His faithfulness again when the leper reaches out to Jesus in Luke 5:12-13. He begged Jesus to cleanse him, and Jesus responds to the leper's cry for healing. This encourages me to call out to God, in full faith, trusting that He can do anything in His will and that He knows best.
When in doubt, trust God.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever second-guessed or doubted God's instruction? What do you think is the root of your doubt?
2. Have you ever felt absolutely unworthy to be in God's presence? Know that God loves you deeply and desires a personal relationship with you. We are called to boldly approach God's throne of grace. Left to our own devices, we will never be worthy of His grace, but the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness and makes us white as snow in the presence of God.
3. What are your hurts, habits, or hang-ups? Are they keeping you from experiencing God's goodness and saving faith? Then join us at re:generation, Watermark's recovery and discipleship ministry, where you will hear stories of life change every week. This ministry radically challenged and deepened my faith, and I know God can use it to do the same for you.