Luke 5:3

CHRIST’S WORK IN THE WORLD

‘He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s.’

Luke 5:3

The Lord Jesus used the instruments of His Apostles. He went into Simon’s boat; He used Simon’s boat and tackle and nets. That is ever His way.

I. Christ used the instruments of His people.—And that is why we say to you, do not ignore the instruments of religion in your religion. If you do, you will fail. Use the Sacraments, use all ministry. If the Lord makes use of them, cannot His people make use of them? I know you will say: ‘We might go out into the fields and worship God just as well as going to church.’ Ah! no, you could not. You would be lonely out in the fields. You want the sympathy of life. You want the Lord’s own trysting-place, ‘Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.’ You cannot get over that. You are human, and must make use of the instruments that Christ has ordained and made use of Himself.

II. Man can supply the instruments.—The boat, the net, and the tackle belonged to Simon. So that the lesson we learn is that the instruments our Lord would use are also the instruments that we ourselves can supply. Do not for one moment say that you have not got opportunities and powers and faculties. That is what people always say. You hear men say, ‘I should not like to tackle that question.’ Men have got plenty of tackle to tackle the question, but they are too intellectually ignorant to find their way with faith into certainty of belief. Again people often say, ‘I should not like to tackle that man or that woman and bring them to Christ, because I have not got the tackle to do the tackling with.’ And why? They have no faith in themselves or in their Saviour. For here comes the truth, that all these instruments in themselves will not do it.

III. But Christ must be with you.—And what is the thing to do? Well, of course, you must be quite sure, at least, that you have your Lord and Saviour in the boat with you. Then whatever may be the storm, we can face it; whatever may be the discouragement, we can bear it with Him—then you are quite sure of your catch in the end.

IV. You must do what He says.—If He is with you, you will do what He tells you. He will tell you, ‘Do not let your life run along conventionalities.’ Launch out. Conventionalities kill religion. We may get accustomed to everything. It is what is called in theological treatises, the canker in the Sanctuary, the same going to Church, the same prayers, the same Communions, the same people—no progress, no joy in the Holy Ghost, no outpouring of the Spirit, no gladness of heart. Launch out. If the Master is with you, you have no fear. Look at all the history of the saints. Launch out.

V. The result.—Whatever the Lord tells you individually to do, do, although it seems to you extravagant. We have toiled all the night, we are tired out, we are thoroughly discouraged, and we do not see that we have done any good at all. ‘Nevertheless, at Thy word:’ it is quite enough. And then comes the experience of life. Oh, what a man can do, if he works with the Master! The most blessed experience of all ministry is, that the Lord works with you and you work with the Lord. It is the crown of all ministry. Not the number of fish, not the success, but the crown of real ministry is that you are working with God, and God is working with you.

—Rev. A. H. Stanton.