◆“How Can We Encounter God and Jesus?” (Luke 5:1-12) August 10, 2025

Today, I want us to look at the encounter between Peter and Jesus. What does it mean to “meet” Jesus? And how can a person truly encounter Him? Today’s focus is on those who already know and believe in Jesus as their Savior, yet may not have truly encountered Him in the deepest sense.
Why? Because there are people who say they believe in Jesus and have received forgiveness of sins, but have not moved beyond that, never truly meeting Him in a life-changing way.

Let’s first review the events from Peter’s first meeting with Jesus to the scene in today’s passage.
Peter’s first encounter is recorded in Matthew 4:18–20. If we read only that, it almost looks as if Peter simply followed Jesus like a zombie, knowing nothing about Him. But in reality, it wasn’t like that. Peter had heard the reports about Jesus, and had listened to Him with his own ears. He must have felt a deep pull—“This man has something”—and decided to follow Him.

The next level of encounter came in Capernaum (Luke 4:31–37). Peter heard Jesus teach in the synagogue and was amazed. Jesus taught “as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law” (Mark 1:22).
The teachers of the law relied on quoting past and current famous rabbis, recounting “Rabbi so-and-so said this” or “wrote that.” But Jesus, with authority, explained the true meaning of God’s Word. That must have left a deep impression on Peter.

Later, after leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to Peter’s house and healed his mother-in-law, who was suffering from a high fever. That evening, He laid His hands on many sick and afflicted people, healing them, and cast out demons (Luke 4:38–40). Then, for a time, He left Capernaum to preach in the synagogues of Judea (Luke 4:42–44).

Now we arrive at today’s story—the encounter by the Sea of Galilee.
Peter had been fishing all night without catching a single fish, and was mending his nets back at port. He was physically and emotionally drained. At that moment, Jesus asked him to put out a little from shore so He could teach from the boat.

Honestly, Peter’s first thought may have been, “Please, give me a break.” He had been up all night, working hard, with the added exhaustion of an empty catch. Still, remembering what Jesus had said and done before, he couldn’t refuse. So he roused his tired body, took Jesus aboard, and pushed out from shore.

We don’t know how long Jesus spoke, but since His message was along the lines of, “The kingdom of heaven has come near. Repent and believe the good news,” it was probably not short.
When He finished speaking, Jesus told Peter, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Peter replied, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.” Notice that he still said “Master,” not yet “Lord.”
His unspoken thoughts might have been: “We are professional fishermen, raised on this lake. We know the depths, the shallows, the wind, and the movement of fish. If we caught nothing all night, then there are no fish to be had. And, Master, you’re a carpenter, not a fisherman—telling us to fish in the deep? Fish aren’t there; they’re closer to shore.”

Yet, even as he spoke, something shifted in Peter’s heart: “Instead of arguing, I’ll just do what He says.”
So he added, “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
It went against his reason and experience, but because it was Jesus’ word, he obeyed. That decision marked the turning point of his life.

The result? A massive catch—so large the nets began to break. They signaled their partners, and both boats were filled to the point of sinking. It was a miracle beyond imagining.
Through this, Peter realized: Jesus was not just a new kind of teacher of the Law. He was the Lord, the sinless One—God Himself, come as man, the Messiah. And so Peter could say, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” His view of Jesus had shifted from “Master” to “Lord.”

For Peter, this was the moment he encountered Jesus’ plan for his life and discovered his life’s true meaning. For Jesus, it was the moment He could begin revealing and guiding Peter into that plan—something He could not do until Peter made that confession. That is the meaning of verse 10.

From this story, I want us to remember one key lesson: When Peter heard, “Put out into the deep water and let down the nets,” he didn’t twist the meaning, ask for clarification, or reframe it as a spiritual metaphor to fit his logic. He simply obeyed.
This is a lesson for us, too. If we overanalyze the Bible, treating it as just another book, we will miss meeting God. We encounter Him not by fully understanding or intellectually agreeing, but by receiving His Word as it is.

Isaiah 55:8–9 says:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

If we approach the Bible merely as human words to study, we will never truly grasp it. God’s Word cannot be captured by intellect alone. But when, like Peter, we say, “Because you say so,” and accept it, it becomes reality—and we truly encounter the Lord.

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Sermon script modified based on proofreading and translation with ChatGPT.