Throne of Grace Bible Church International
Luke 5:4-9
“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken[.]”
Launching Out into the Deep
New Year’s Message (January 1, 2024)
In our text today we see the Lord Jesus telling Simon after He, Jesus, had finished speaking the Word of God to the audience that was present there to “launch out into the deep”. He also told Peter to, “let down your nets for a draught”. The dictionary defines the term “launch” as “to send forth, catapult, to start (a new venture) or promote (a new product), to burst out or plunge boldly or directly into action”. The word “draught” according to the dictionary, is “the act of pulling a load as a vehicle or animal”. It also means “the depth of a loaded vessel in the water, taken from the level of the waterline to the lowest point of the hull”.
Peter and company had toiled all night but were unable to catch any fish. But now Jesus Christ tells him to “launch out into the deep”. The deep is not around the surface area. It is far below the surface of any body of water. Bear in mind that it is more dangerous also in the deepest part of any body of water. But Jesus told him to do it anyway. Isn’t it risky not to take any risk? For Peter to succeed he had to be faithful to the command of Jesus that told him to do something different and take a bold step and launch deeper than he had done. Peter needed to work harder, take some rewarding risks in order to get a positive and different result. In 2024, do like Peter did. “Launch into the deep”. The good Lord will crown your efforts with huge success. Be bold! Be strong!
You cannot take any risk if you cherish your comfort zone. This does not mean acting without knowledge and wisdom. It means taking bold steps, planning well, working hard, obeying God and trusting Him to bless your handiwork as long as He is the one directing you.
Now let us go back to the term “draught”. Jesus was letting Peter know that if he obeyed Him and did exactly as He told him to, by faith, that there will be a haul. In other words, Peter will catch a lot of fish. There will be so much fish in his nets that he will even need the assistance of others to pull them out of the water. May God so much bless you this year that your testimonies will spread like wildfire. May you end up looking for help to transport your blessings from the ocean of opportunities. May the good Lord make a way for you in 2024!
In Luke Chapter 5, Verse 6, we find out that when Peter and company did just what the Lord said, “...they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake”. Let your blessings in 2024 be many that you will look for additional containers to store them. Verse 7 of Luke Chapter 5, even tells us that when help arrived so that the multitude of fish could be hauled into the ships, and as that was being done, the ships themselves began to sink because of the heavy weight. To experience a ship-sinking blessing is a good problem to have. Isn’t it? Hallelujah!
Children of the most High God, may the Lord Jesus Christ who commanded a ship-sinking fish to run and get into the nets of Peter and company, command all your blessings in 2024 to come to you no matter where they are hiding-in Jesus name, Amen.
May you be astonished at the wonders of the Lord so you can bust into celebration and shout and say, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23). And you can equally sing and say, “This is the day [year] which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
Beloved, stand out from the crowd, get into the extraordinary. Do not ‘net’ around on the surface. A lot of people are already doing just that. Stand out! Dig Deeper! Cast your nets deeper! There is no time to be busy washing your net of failure. Rather, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught”. Not just your net, but “your nets”.
Happy New Year, 2024!
Yours in Christ’s Vineyard
Ernest Godfrey
