Luke 5 : 1-11 (NKJV)1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Luke 5 : 1-11 (NKJV)

5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So 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 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying,

Luke 5 : 1-11 (NKJV)

“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 which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

Luke 5:1-11

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success

7 Secrets of Spiritual SuccessWe live in a country where we are measured by our “success”

Everyone wants to be tabbed as a successful person

We want our kids to be successful in school

We want to be successful in our jobs and at home as well

7 Secrets of Spiritual SuccessThere is certainly nothing wrong with aiming for success in our lives

However, we should seek to succeed in being a Christian first and foremost

Our text tonight will give us 7 secrets that will help us achieve spiritual success

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success1. Accept the limitations of human efforts and plans (v. 5)Peter, Andrew, James and John did all they knew to do and still came up empty

These were men who did this for a livingThey should have been the experts of the dayHuman wisdom wasn’t enough to catch any fish on this day

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success1. Accept the limitations of human efforts and plans (v. 5)At times we come up with spiritual plans that perhaps do not seem to work out

How many churches are trying things their way instead of God’s way?

“O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23)

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success1. Accept the limitations of human efforts and plans (v. 5)How often do we forget that the power is in the word of God, not in us (Rom. 1:16)?

Our human abilities are limited at best and that is why we must rely upon the Lord

As people who are independent and want to do things on their own, this is not easy…

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success2. Trust the word of Jesus even if it doesn’t make sense (v. 5)How do you think these fishermen felt taking advice from a carpenter turned preacher?

Didn’t they know fishing; after all it was their business?

There was something about Jesus that made them want to trust Him and His word

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success2. Trust the word of Jesus even if it doesn’t make sense (v. 5)“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil” (Prov. 3:5-7)

How well do we follow through with this?

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success2. Trust the word of Jesus even if it doesn’t make sense (v. 5)There may be times when we think we know best how to handle a situation

The Lord always knows bestWhat He tells us may not be easy, or even seem like what we would have done; nevertheless we need to trust Him

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success3. Be willing to launch out (v. 4)

When Jesus asked them to go out, it was into the deep water

Every great enterprise takes some risk

When risk is involved there is usually great reward

Risk is a part of all achievement; a risk free life is terribly dull

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success3. Be willing to launch out (v. 4)

Hebrews 11:6-8Think about the risk these men took, as well as others in Hebrews 11

They were asked to launch out into the deep

We must have a trust in the Lord in order to be willing to go and do what He tells us to do

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success4. Persevere even through disappointment and fatigue (v. 5)These men had been out all night fishing

They were tired and probably disappointed and discouraged

Could you imagine staying up all night to work on something and accomplishing nothing?

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success4. Persevere even through disappointment and fatigue (v. 5)Although they were tired and discouraged, they were willing to give it another shot

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Gal. 6:9)

Reaping takes both time and practice

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success4. Persevere even through disappointment and fatigue (v. 5)Runners describe a feeling called the “runners high” coming after they push themselves past the point of fatigue

The feeling of exhaustion yields to the feeling of euphoria

It only happens if we are willing to keep on

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success5. Remember the importance of teamwork (v. 6-7)As success came that morning, they had to share the burden

Since Jesus was the ultimate focus, it didn’t matter who got the credit

That’s the way it should be in the church

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success5. Remember the importance of teamwork (v. 6-7)If Jesus is the focus of each one of us, then it shouldn’t matter who gets the credit

Many tasks take teamwork to accomplish – football, baseball, Gospel meetings, etc

I Corinthians 12:12-26 and Ephesians 4:11-16 speaks of teamwork

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success6. Remember God can bless us more than we ask or imagine (v. 6-7)The catch of fish was even greater than expected

Look at how the Bible describes the amount of fish that they caught

Our God delights in surprising usEphesians 3:20-21

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success6. Remember God can bless us more than we ask or imagine (v. 6-7)Jesus tells us the same thing about what God will do for us when we give (Lk. 6:38)

We cannot out give God!When it comes down to it, God will bless us more than we can ever imagine He would

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success7. Be humble in your success (v. 8)

Peter did not take credit for the success enjoyed that day

He didn’t run around doing his victory dance or look to taunt the other fishermen

Look at his reaction in verse 8…He humbled himself before God and came face to face with His own unworthiness

7 Secrets of Spiritual Success7. Be humble in your success (v. 8)He realized that it was not because of his own power and greatness, but rather because of the Lord’s

We need to humble ourselves and realize that it is because of God that we have gotten to where we are

Romans 12:3