Participants: Alden Ho (Host)
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000302
|
00:08 Beautiful
00:15 Music 00:30 Hello friends, my name is Pastor Alden Ho 00:33 I run a ministry in Berrien Springs, MI 00:35 called Wheel Salt Ministries. 00:37 The message I have for you today is titled, 00:39 "Time to Go Fishing. " 00:41 Let's bow our heads and ask God to be with us now. 00:43 Heavenly Father, I thank you for the message 00:48 Thank you for the words. 00:50 Please allow each person who is listening to be prepared 00:54 and to prepare their hearts for this message. 00:57 Lord speak through me now. For I ask in Jesus name, Amen 01:01 When I was first growing up in Toronto, Canada 01:07 my parents immigrated 01:08 from Singapore to 01:09 Toronto, Canada. 01:10 My Dad wanted me to have 01:12 the All-American experience 01:13 I guess you could say 01:14 by taking me to go fishing. 01:16 So, he rented a boat 01:18 we got the fishing poles, got the worms, 01:22 did everything we had to do 01:24 We sat in the boat and we fished from early morning 01:27 till late at night. 01:29 We fished and we fished. 01:31 We stayed there in the boat all day. 01:33 Had lunch. Had a lot of fun. 01:35 I remember this that one time I even hated putting the 01:38 worm on the hook so I asked my Dad to do it 01:40 so he would put the worm on the hook for me. 01:42 And a couple times we would cast out 01:44 and we'd watch the little bob 01:46 that would be floating go up and down, up and down. 01:48 We'd reel it back in and the worm would be gone 01:52 but there'd be no fish on the hook. 01:54 So my dad would put another worm on the hook 01:56 and this last time I thought, 01:59 "I'm really gonna cast it out there " 02:00 'cause I think there are some fish way out there. 02:02 So I reeled back and I threw 02:05 that cast out as far as I could. 02:08 and I noticed that the line went all the way out 02:11 and then it looped back around and it came back 02:13 behind me and I was wondering, 'What was that? ' 02:16 So I looked behind and unbeknownst to me 02:19 that hook had caught in my dad's cheek 02:22 and it was stuck in his cheek. 02:25 Well, I'll be glad to tell you that was 02:28 the last time my dad took me fishing. 02:30 I never went fishing any more. 02:32 But we sat in that boat all day 02:34 from sun up till sun down. 02:36 How many fish did I catch? 02:38 Zero. 02:40 No fish at all. 02:41 So I want to ask you a question and be honest with me 02:45 'cause I can handle it 02:47 If I sat in a boat all day 02:49 I had the rod, I had the reel, I had the bait, I had the hook, 02:54 I had all the tools I needed to be a fisherman. 02:56 Would you call me a fisherman? 02:58 Probably not. 03:00 But I'll tell you, there is One in the Bible 03:03 Who is really a Fisherman. 03:04 Jesus. 03:06 Jesus, during his time period we don't hear much 03:10 in the Bible during the Old Testament 03:12 of people who were fishing. 03:14 But in the New Testament when Jesus came along 03:17 we see a lot of examples that He talked about fishing. 03:20 You see fishing was a very big industry. 03:22 And in fact, it was so big that people would 03:24 go out there and they would build their entire communities 03:28 around the sea. 03:30 and as these people would build their communities 03:34 around the Sea of Galilee 03:36 you would find ribbon communities attached 03:38 all along there. 03:39 And that's where Jesus would walk. 03:41 As He would walk through there He would 03:43 go from one community to another community. 03:45 And there'd be a lot of people who'd follow Jesus. 03:49 Well this one day Jesus was out. 03:52 And as He was out He was talking with the people. 03:56 and as he talked, you have to understand that 03:59 in their communities of fishing 04:01 that's basically what they built 04:03 their entire industry on was fishing. 04:05 The type of fishing they did was 04:07 very different from the type of fishing 04:08 my father and I did with a rod and reel. 04:11 They would use a net that would be about 5 meters in diameter 04:16 and they would cast that out from the boat. 04:18 And many times the fishermen would go out 04:20 and they would fish early in the morning 04:22 before the sun would come up. 04:24 the reason they would do that is 04:26 because the fish would be able to see 04:28 who's throwing the nets out. 04:30 And the fish would not obviously fall prey to 04:33 their nets and the fish would swim away. 04:35 Fishing was a very strenuous life 04:38 and it required a very strong physique. 04:41 And if we turn in our Bibles right now we'll see this 04:43 story that Jesus is talking about 04:45 in the Gospel of Luke the Gentile physician... 04:51 in Luke 5:1-11, that's Luke 5:1-11... 06:49 You see this is a very interesting scenario here. 06:52 Peter was a fisherman. That was his job. 06:55 Jesus grew up in a carpenter's shop. 06:58 Peter kind of felt, 07:00 'Lord, why are you telling me to let out my nets? ' 07:04 'I mean, we've just washed them ' 07:05 'we've prepared them, we've been all night fishing. ' 07:07 'This is our industry. ' 07:10 'Why don't you stay in the industry that you know best. ' 07:13 But nonetheless, when Jesus asked him 07:16 and commanded him, "Look Peter, " 07:17 "Send out the nets, throw them out. " 07:20 Peter did that and the catch was huge 07:25 because Peter followed what the Master was asking. 07:28 You see when Jesus calls us 07:31 and He calls us to come follow Him 07:34 He's asking us to do some things. 07:36 See, we must be separated to Him 07:39 that we may pursue His objective. 07:42 We must belong to Him 07:44 then His design will be our design. 07:46 The closer we commune with God 07:49 the greater our power will be over souls. 07:52 We must obey Him 07:54 and we must learn His methods 07:56 Jesus' methodology. 07:58 We must teach what he taught. 08:01 We must teach as He taught. 08:04 In fact, we must copy His life 08:06 because His life should be our only example. 08:09 This is not really an issue of works per se. 08:12 If it is, then I guess that keeping 08:14 the Commandments holy is also an issue of works. 08:17 This came straight out of Christ's mouth. 08:21 and He said to anyone who chooses to follow Him, 08:24 it says in Matthew 28:19-20 08:28 there is what we find in the Bible 08:31 referred to as, 'The Great Commission. ' 08:33 Matthew 28:19-20 08:54 You see, Jesus gave great authority. 08:56 He told everybody, "If you love Me " 09:00 "these are the things I want you to do. " 09:02 "I want you to go. I want you to teach. " 09:05 "preach and baptize. " 09:07 He delegated that to us. 09:09 And when He delegated that to us 09:11 He said, "I will be with you always. " 09:13 So there's nothing to fear. 09:15 What authority do we have? 09:17 We have all the authority in this world. 09:21 Because it came to us through Jesus Christ Himself. 09:24 You know this idea of fishing 09:27 is a very interesting one. 09:28 Bob Schuller once said in his sermon 09:32 "If this analogy teaches us anything " 09:35 "it reminds us that the Christian " 09:37 "to fulfill his mission " 09:39 "must bear His witness where the people are. " 09:41 "We cannot wait for people to come to us. " 09:44 One successful evangelist put it this way, 09:48 "Suppose I built a beautiful fish house " 09:51 "down by the side of lake. " 09:52 "I design it after some gothic pattern " 09:55 "placed stained glass windows all around it " 09:58 "burned candles around it " 10:00 "and even had an electric sign that said, 'Fish House' " 10:05 " 'All Fish Invited' " 10:06 " 'Fishing Hours from 11am to 7pm. ' " 10:10 "How many fish do you suppose he'd catch? " 10:13 Well there are many fishermen in the world. 10:16 Some with very worthy motives. 10:19 And some with very selfish motives. 10:21 People are having every type of bait dangled before them. 10:26 And they're feeling the mesh of a variety of nets. 10:30 You see the Christian message 10:32 now as it was in Peter's time 10:34 must be none other than 10:35 the new old story 10:37 of Jesus and His love. 10:38 Christ's teachings leaves 10:41 no room for philosophies. 10:42 that would reduce the Gospel 10:44 down to some social uplift 10:46 let alone a mere entertainment. 10:48 You see, the purpose of the Gospel 10:50 is the salvation of man. 10:52 Therefore Jesus won't ask you 10:55 to leave your job, your business, 10:57 like he did Peter and Andrew 10:59 Who said, "Follow me " 11:01 "and I will make you fisher's of men. " 11:03 He will however expect you 11:05 to let Him be involved in all aspects of your life 11:09 including your business, your schooling and your home. 11:13 As a follower it is important for you and I to understand 11:18 that we can't just add Jesus into our life 11:21 whenever we can fit Him into our schedule. 11:23 It's not a convenience issue. 11:26 Jesus comes not to 'observe' your life 11:30 but He comes to be Whom He is in reality 11:32 your God, your King, 11:35 your Forgiver and your Leader. 11:38 Following Jesus involves a complete commitment, 11:43 a life commitment to Him. 11:44 God has the right to interrupt your life. 11:47 He is Lord. 11:49 In fact, when you accept Him as Lord 11:52 you give Him the right to help Himself to your life 11:54 at any time that He wants! 11:56 I want to ask you a question. 11:59 The question is this: 12:01 Do you friend, in your work, 12:04 the people that live around you 12:06 do they know that you are a Christian? 12:08 I mean, do they know that Jesus 12:11 is the Lord of your life? 12:12 Have you explained that to them? 12:14 Do they know your commitment? 12:16 Would it be obvious or would it not be so obvious? 12:21 I know that many of you have probably shared your faith 12:24 with other people, 12:25 people that you work with, people that you associate with. 12:28 But if you don't, why not? 12:31 Do you have a fear of sharing your faith with other people. 12:37 That people will say, "Well, We don't want to have " 12:40 "anything to do with you because you are "a Christian. " 12:42 Well, this is what I want to ask you. 12:46 Being a Christian is more than just 12:51 telling it, living it. 12:53 Being a Christian is to allow the Holy Spirit 12:57 to be a part of who you are. 12:59 I don't know where you've been. 13:01 I don't know what struggles you've had in your life. 13:04 But I can tell you this: 13:06 this sermon is not so much about football 13:09 or soccer or basketball 13:12 or even the latest movies. 13:14 But if you know all the football players 13:18 or all the basketball players, 13:21 if you know all those people that's all well and good. 13:23 However, the question is this: 13:26 If you can name the actors of the latest movie, 13:29 or the actors in the latest musical group 13:33 or CD that's out there, that's fine. 13:36 But is you can't name the name of the twelve disciples 13:39 there's a problem there. 13:41 You see where I'm going? 13:42 Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 13:47 "Seek first the kingdom of God " 13:49 "and all His righteousness " 13:50 "and all these things will be added unto you. " 13:52 You may have a passion for the Gospel. 13:55 Is it your dream? 13:57 It can't just be wishful thinking, friends. 14:00 It can only happen when you ask the Holy Spirit 14:02 to make it happen in your life. 14:04 I want to tell you this, my life is not perfect. 14:08 I have a lot of flaws, I'm full of sin. 14:11 But God knows exactly what type of bait 14:16 it is that I need, 14:18 the type of bait that will attract me 14:21 to the worldly things 14:22 and also the type of bait that will attract me to Him. 14:25 You may not feel that this is 14:29 something that you would want to be. 14:31 But God is calling you. 14:33 He's asking you to be a follower of His. 14:36 He's asking you to leave your worldly assignments, 14:39 your worldly occupation from that stand point, 14:42 to come into His type of boat 14:46 to go fishing with Him. 14:47 But you draw back and say, 14:49 "But you know what, I can't do that! " 14:51 "I mean I can't speak. " 14:53 "I stutter... " 14:54 "I can't think, " 14:56 "I can't be around people. " 14:58 And some of us feel that we have all these 15:01 human disabilities that stop us 15:04 from being a good Christian. 15:06 I want to assure you with this: 15:09 There's an interesting thing that I was reading here. 15:12 It's called, 'Why God Didn't. ' 15:14 And there are many reasons why 15:17 God shouldn't have called you 15:18 but don't worry, you're in good company. 15:21 Moses stuttered. 15:23 David's armor really didn't fit him. 15:26 John Mark was rejected by Paul. 15:28 Timothy had ulcers. 15:31 Did you know that Hosea's wife was even a prostitute! 15:34 Amos? His only training was at the school of fig tree pruning. 15:39 And Jacob was a liar. 15:41 David had an affair. 15:42 Solomon was too rich. 15:44 And you know what? Jesus was too poor! 15:46 Abraham was too old. 15:48 David was too young. 15:50 Peter was afraid to die. 15:52 Ha, well Lazarus was dead. 15:54 John was self righteous and Naomi was a widow. 15:57 But then we have other people like Paul who was a murderer. 16:01 But then again, did you know so was Moses? 16:04 Jonah ran from God. Miriam was a gossip. 16:07 Gideon and Thomas both doubted. 16:09 Jeremiah was depressed and even suicidal. 16:13 Elijah was burnt out. 16:15 John the Baptist was a loud mouth. 16:18 And Mary, she was a total worrywart. 16:20 While Martha was a worrywart Mary was a lazy one. 16:24 Did you know there were others too. 16:26 Sampson had long hair. 16:28 Noah got drunk. 16:30 And did I mention, Moses had a short fuse? 16:33 But then a lot of people did, 16:35 Peter, Paul and several others. 16:39 But God doesn't require a job interview. 16:42 He doesn't hire and fire like most bosses do. 16:47 Because He's more than our boss, 16:49 He's our Dad! 16:50 He doesn't look at financial gain and loss. 16:55 He's not prejudiced or partial. 16:57 He's not judgmental. 17:00 He's not grudging. 17:01 He's not sassy or brassy. 17:03 He's not deaf to our cry. 17:05 He's not blind to our need. 17:07 We may think to earn them but God's gifts are free 17:12 to you and to me. 17:14 We could do wonderful things for wonderful people 17:17 and actually still not be wonderful. 17:19 Do you realize that? 17:20 Because Satan always comes back at us and he says, 17:24 "You are not worthy! " 17:25 Jesus says, "So what, I am Worthy! " 17:29 Satan looks always back at the past. 17:32 And he says, "Look at the mistakes you've made. " 17:34 God does not look back at the past. 17:36 He looks forward and He says, 17:38 "Look at the cross. Look at what I've done. " 17:40 He doesn't calculate what you did in 2000 A.D. 17:43 It is not even on the record. 17:45 Sure there are lots of reasons 17:47 why God shouldn't have called us. 17:49 But if we are magically in love with Him, 17:52 if we love Him more than our next breath, 17:55 He'll use us in spite of who we are. 17:58 I pray that as Christians 18:01 we will step out of our limitations 18:04 to the illimitable nature of who Christ is, 18:07 Who Jesus is, Who God is. 18:10 Then our passion for God and our passion to communicate Him 18:13 will make mince meat of our limitations. 18:16 Let me read you a quote from Spirit of Prophecy 18:20 Ellen White writes in the Review and Herald 18:21 November 25, 1909. 19:32 Friend, Christians are to be fishers of men. 19:35 Do you call yourself a Christian? 19:38 I call myself a Christian. 19:39 You see, being a Christian is far more than 19:43 just wearing the title of 'Christian. ' 19:45 There is a certain thing that God has called us to do. 19:49 And that we find in Matthew 28. 19:51 We are to go, preach, teach and baptize. 19:55 Let me ask you a question. 19:58 If you were married I'm sure you'd have no problems 20:03 telling other people that you are married. 20:05 If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend 20:07 I'm sure that you have no problems 20:08 telling people that you have a boyfriend or girlfriend. 20:10 Because there's this thing called love. 20:13 And when you are truly in love with somebody 20:15 you anything that they. 20:18 Well, within reason that. 20:20 Well, Jesus is calling us. 20:22 He's talking to us. 20:24 He's saying, "Look if you " 20:26 "are calling me your Savior, " 20:28 "if you're in a love " 20:29 "relationship with me, " 20:30 "will you do something for me? " 20:33 "There's a lot of people, there's an entire world, " 20:37 "that doesn't know about me. " 20:39 "I need you to tell them about me. " 20:42 You see Christians, 20:45 Christians are to be fishers of men. 20:48 Like many of the disciples who used knowledge 20:51 and experience in their fishing 20:53 they knew where to go to find the right fish. 20:57 They were given strength. 20:59 They had skills to cast out their nets. 21:01 And they pulled in their catch. 21:03 They kept their nets well mended 21:06 and they were always ready for fishing. 21:09 As Christians, fishers of men, 21:12 we are to listen to the Holy Spirit 21:14 so that we will be sensitive 21:17 to the opportunities of sharing the Good News of Jesus. 21:19 If you ask Jesus and you ask Him to use you 21:25 in a very special way each and every morning 21:28 allow yourself to be used by Jesus. 21:30 If you pray that prayer He will open up amazing doors for you. 21:36 Doors that you would have never expected could have opened. 21:39 He will give you the words that you are to say. 21:42 He will allow you to speak to people 21:44 with which you would not normally feel comfortable. 21:46 But you must be in tune with His voice, 21:51 be able to listen for Him calling you 21:53 and speaking to you. 21:55 So let me go back to the question. 21:57 The initial question is: 21:59 If I sat in a boat all day, 22:01 I had all the right tools 22:03 I never caught a fish 22:05 would you call me a fisherman? 22:07 The answer would probably be, 'No. ' 22:10 So my question to you is this: 22:12 If Jesus calls you to be a fisher of men 22:16 and you sit in a boat all day 22:19 and you don't catch any fish 22:21 are you a fisherman? 22:23 Are you a Christian? 22:25 Christians are to be fishers of men. 22:28 Friend there is nothing to be afraid of. 22:31 I used to be afraid. 22:33 I used to not want to talk to people about Jesus. 22:35 But there were things that started happening 22:38 in my life and I found out 22:39 and you might be sensitive to these things too, 22:41 that sometimes you feel impressed 22:43 and there might be something that's 22:45 very heavy pressing on your heart 22:47 that you're supposed to talk to someone. 22:49 That's the Holy Spirit talking to you 22:52 and He's saying, "Look you need to go. " 22:54 "There's a certain message " 22:55 "that I have for you to tell somebody " 22:57 "that nobody else can do. " 22:59 "You are the one that I've chosen. " 23:01 "You need to go. " 23:03 F. R. Havergal wrote this poem and she said, 23:08 "Lord speak to me that I may " 23:11 "speak in loving echoes of thy tone. " 23:13 "As Thou has sought, so let me seek " 23:16 "Thy erring children lost and alone. " 23:20 "Oh lead me Lord, that I may lead the wandering " 23:24 "and wayward feet. " 23:25 "Oh feed me Lord, that I may feed " 23:28 "Thy hungering ones with manna sweet. " 23:30 "Oh strengthen me that I may stand firm on the Rock " 23:35 "and strong in Thee. " 23:37 "I may stretch out a loving hand " 23:39 "to wrestlers with the troubled sea. " 23:41 "Teach me Lord that I may teach the precious things " 23:46 "that Thou doest impart. " 23:48 "And wing my words that they may reach " 23:51 "the hidden depths of many a heart. " 23:53 You know, Paul writes in Galatians chapter 2 23:57 verse 20 and 21 he says this, 24:33 I hope and pray that Christ did not die in vain for you. 24:35 You have been crucified with Christ. 24:38 It is no longer you who lives 24:40 but Christ who lives in you. 24:42 And if Christ lives in you 24:44 you would not be afraid to go out and tell the world. 24:46 of what He did for you, 24:49 that He loves you and He died and gave His life for you. 24:53 There is a story that is told about a bus pastor 24:57 who ran a ministry. 24:58 In his ministry he would travel 25:00 through the inner cities of America 25:02 one day he knocked on a door 25:04 a little boy came to the door 25:06 and the pastor asked the little boy who was at home. 25:09 The little boy said, 25:10 "No, there's just me and my little brother. " 25:12 And the pastor said, 25:13 "Well, son I want to ask you a question. " 25:15 "Do you know who Jesus is? " 25:17 "No " said the little boy. 25:19 The bus pastor said, 25:21 "Can I tell you the greatest love story ever told? " 25:24 And the little boy invited the bus pastor into the house. 25:27 The bus pastor told him about the love of Jesus. 25:31 "And how Jesus came and died " 25:34 "on the cross for him. " 25:35 "The little boy was crying tears. " 25:38 "He couldn't believe that some one would do that for him. " 25:40 Eventually, the little boy said, 25:44 "What do I have to do " 25:45 "to accept this gift of salvation? " 25:48 which the bus pastor explained. 25:49 And the bus pastor said, 25:51 "Well, why don't we kneel down right now " 25:53 "and ask Jesus into your heart. " 25:54 At that the little boy dropped to his knees right away. 25:57 And the bus pastor said, 25:59 "You know, next week I want to take you " 26:01 "on Sabbath to my church. " 26:03 And so he came to the church. 26:05 The boy had never seen a huge church like this before. 26:09 Beautiful stain glass everywhere, wood, He was amazed. 26:13 He was in awe. 26:14 And the little boy noticed that 26:16 there were some men up front passing something around. 26:20 He couldn't figure out what it was. 26:22 And so the little boy sat down in one of the pews. 26:25 And as whatever that was started making its way to the back 26:28 the boy realized that they were putting money in the plate. 26:32 And then it dawned on him. 26:34 They must be giving money to Jesus. 26:36 The little boy started looking through his pockets 26:38 he started searching everywhere 26:40 because he wanted to give money to Jesus. 26:41 He didn't have anything to give Jesus. 26:44 Finally that plate came down his row. 26:47 And the little boy grabbed the plate and didn't want to let go. 26:50 Eventually somebody said, 26:51 "You must let it go by. " 26:53 And it made its way to the back of the church. 26:55 The little boy ran up to the one of the men carrying the plates. 27:00 and said, "Look, can I hold the plate? " 27:02 The man wasn't sure why. 27:04 But he allowed the little boy to hold the plate. 27:05 And the boy said, 27:07 "Jesus, I have nothing to give you except me. " 27:09 And with that, the little boy put the plate on the floor 27:13 and he stepped into the plate 27:14 and he said, "Jesus, I give you me. " 27:17 Friend, Jesus is calling you. 27:21 Will you live for Him? 27:22 Will you allow Jesus into your life? 27:26 I want to ask that you will. And do it sometime soon. 27:30 Let's pray right now. 27:32 Heavenly Father, I ask that You will guide and direct. 27:35 Guide and direct the people getting this message, 27:38 the person whose heart is aching. 27:39 Call us to be fishermen of yours. 27:42 Guide and direct us, help us to come closer to you, 27:46 each and every day, Lord, 27:48 in all that we do and say 27:49 may we be your child because you love us. 27:52 In Jesus name. Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17