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Our vision as a church is to be real with ourselves, God and others.
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Welcome, you guys, to the last day of 2023.
I hope you had a good Christmas.
And as we prepare for the new year, I want us to kind of consider the fact that the last
day of this year actually lands on the Lord's day, which I think is a bit of good news for
us.
Because regardless of how your year started, it actually ends with the good news of Jesus.
And so, as your pastor, I want you to trust me today as I lead us through a time of
teaching, yes, but also a time of reflection.
Because here's why we need this.
When you think back to this last year, so much has happened, so much has changed.
I'm sure you've had moments of joy, moments of pain.
I would imagine you've had moments of clarity and of confusion.
I'm sure there's been rich moments with friends in which you've celebrated.
Maybe you've even cried.
And then you've had maybe moments of solitude.
For the better or for worse.
You've gained friends this year.
Maybe you've lost some friends.
Maybe people have passed away.
You see, all of what this year has been has done something to you.
It's done something to your soul, to the essence of who you are.
And so one of the things I believe we need most as we prepare to enter a new year is for
our souls to have space.
Space so that we can become aware of what has happened, become aware of how we've changed,
and space in order to heal.
And reflection, the gift of reflection, allows us space to do those very things.
And so I'm going to lead us to this time in which you're going to hear a teaching, yes.
But also you're going to be prompted with questions, questions that will allow you space to
reflect on where God is inviting you as we end 2023 and step into a new year.
And so, for some of you, this will feel brand new.
And that is okay.
I want you to trust me and to engage with this practice.
For others of you, you'll probably love this.
You'll like some time to journal and write notes down and listen to God.
But as this time comes, would you just again trust me and ultimately trust God and be
attentive and listening to his voice?
And so, with that in mind, let's read our text from today.
It comes from Luke, chapter five.
And then I'll pray for us.
Luke writes these words on one occasion while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the
word of God, he was standing by the lake of Geneseret, and he saw two boats by the lake.
But the fishermen had got out of them and were washing their nets, getting into one of the
boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land, and he sat down
and taught the people from the boat.
And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out into the deep and let your
nets down for a catch.
Simon answered, master, we toiled all night and took nothing but at your word, I will let
down the nets.
And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were
breaking.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and to help them.
And they came and filled both the boats so that they actually began to sink.
But 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 and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken.
And so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
And Jesus said to Simon, do not be afraid.
From now on, you will be catching men.
And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Let's pray together.
Heavenly father, what a gift it is for us to come to the close of this year on your day.
And so we pray, God, that as your word is read, that we would hear your voice, that you
might speak to us in our time today, and that you, Jesus, would give us ears to hear and
eyes to see, so that we might become all that you desire us to be.
We pray these things in Jesus name.
Amen.
When you think about it, this is a story all about change.
It's about leaving the comforts of the shore and moving out into deep water.
This is a picture of the christian life.
Because, you see, following Jesus, being a Christian is an invitation to move out into the
deep water.
That the christian journey that we are all on is an ongoing journey of change, in which we
leave the comforts of shallow water and step into the deep waters of transformation.
That is what the christian life is all about.
The new year kind of creates excitement for change, a curiosity around change.
There's a lot of things we want to leave behind.
Maybe there's some things that we want to pick up.
But ultimately, today, we remember that the christian life is one in which we are
constantly changing.
And this passage is a great picture of that.
And it offers us, I think, three things that I just want to pull out that I think will
create a framework for how you and I understand what God is inviting us into when it comes
to the year of 2024, the year that begins tomorrow.
Three things that we see.
First is this, that God is always inviting me to move out into the deep waters.
The second thing is this.
Moving out into the deep is always frightening.
It's always terrifying.
But thirdly, moving out into the deep is always more wonderful than I can imagine.
Now, let's look at these things.
The first text that I want us to see is pretty crucial.
They're found in verse four.
It says, when he had finished speaking, referring to Jesus, he said to Simon, put out into
the deep water and let down the nets for a catch.
Put out into the deep.
Now, I don't know about you, but I actually love the water.
And so for maybe for some of you, as you hear Jesus say those words, you get a little
nervous.
But I don't.
I love the water.
I grew up going to the beach.
I love swimming in the open ocean.
Just even the thought of my feet just kicking in open water with the depths of a world
beneath me just, they excite me.
I know for some that terrifies you, but I just grew up going to the beach.
My dad actually sailed professionally for a number of years, and so he always had us in the
boat every summer.
And there's just a profound moment of just being out there that's exciting.
But regardless of how you feel about being in the water, there's always a moment in which
you and I may be swimming in a lake, in a pool, in the ocean, and that moment in which your
feet can no longer touch the bottom.
This sensation comes over your body because you realize now that you're in open water,
you're in unknown territory.
There's a bit of uncertainty that begins to build in your heart and in your mind and in
your body.
That's what it means to be in the open.
That's what it means to start to move out into the deep.
And that's what Jesus does to Peter.
He instructs him to move out into the deep and let their nets down for a catch.
Now, the problem is they haven't caught anything and they've been doing that all night,
which is why when Peter replies to Jesus, he says, master.
The commentators are a bit troubled by this because it's almost as if Peter's like trying
to be honorable but also really direct with Jesus, like, yo, Jesus, you're not a fisherman.
You're a carpenter.
And I don't know, but we've been at this all night and we've caught nothing.
Now, as a fisherman, he would have known that that would have been the prime time to go and
catch fish.
Jesus is now, after finishing a teaching, telling them to go in the middle of the day and
to put out again, to move out towards the deep and to let down their nets.
So he's like, master, listen, we've been at this all night, but we'll do it.
And so they go out, they let their nets down, and we're told, to their astonishment or to
their awe.
In other words, there was this kind of wonder that came over them in verse nine because
they could not believe their eyes.
Not only did they go out in the middle of the day when most fish are not around, they went
out in the middle of day and they caught such a large catch that they asked the second boat
to come and help.
And at the second boat helping, they still both began to sink.
Now, here's the picture you need to catch.
These are not little like Rinky deek pup boats that you take out right in the channels.
These are like 20 to 34 fishermen boats.
These are significant boats, and both of them are sinking.
The catch is that great.
And it's at this point that Peter falls to the knees of Jesus, and he says, go away from
me.
And I love the Lord's response to him.
He says, do not be afraid.
From now on, you will be fishing for people.
You're going to catch men.
You're going to do something radically different with your life.
Peter.
And then we're told at that moment they left everything and followed him.
Now, that phrase in Luke's gospel is a clear indicator for what Luke wants to say is what
it means to be a Christian.
To leave everything and follow him is the definition of the christian life.
I don't know what you're going to do in 2024, but it should be defined primarily by leaving
everything and following Jesus.
That's what it's about.
Everything else becomes secondary to the priority and the calling of making Jesus
everything in your life.
Now for Peter's got no idea where he's going.
I would imagine that's an awkward conversation with his wife when he gets back home,
letting her know that he's let go.
His greatest catch, his best catch, is now gone, and he's following this man, Jesus.
But that's what it means to be a Christian, to follow Jesus.
Listen.
Now, here's the first point.
To follow Jesus is to move out into deep water.
And this is always happening to us.
In other words, God is always drawing you and I to this kind of place in life, not just
because it's the new year, but because we are dealing with an unchanging God who desires to
transform us in the deep.
And so today, I want you to hear me.
Jesus is inviting you.
He knows you by name.
He sees you exactly where you are at today.
He knows what's going on in your life, and he's coming to you today, and he's saying, I
want you to move out into the deep waters.
Now, you may be a teacher.
You may be a business leader, a social worker, a janitor, a secretary, a doctor, a
government official, a first responder.
Today, a college student, still in high school.
At the height of your career, at the very bottom of your career.
You might be unemployed, retired.
You may be in a crisis right now, and you can't wait for the new year.
You may have children, young children, no children.
Wherever you are at in your life, hear me say this.
Jesus is coming to you and saying, I want you to move out into the deep waters with me.
Now.
With this invitation, though, we need to acknowledge a few things.
The first is this.
All of us, at some level, deal with layers of deception in our lives, which are profoundly
strong.
And these deceptive voices oftentimes keep us from believing that life is actually better
in the depths.
Right?
So there's a kind of safety.
There's a pullback to stay ashore, to not go out, and to not believe that in the depths is
where God can transform us.
In the depths is where we can experience more of his love and more of his goodness.
And those layers of deception will keep us from actually believing that God can carry us
out there, that he can sustain us out there.
And so part of today is embracing this invitation to step out by the power of the Holy
Spirit and allow God to do a work in your life.
Now, what can this look like?
I remember learning to pray for the first time.
I grew up in a religious environment, even though I wasn't a Christian at the time.
And I remember just watching people pray.
Where are they talking to?
Who were they talking to?
And so the thought of speaking to an invisible God was just strange to me.
And then I began to pray.
And I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm really praying.
I started to step out into unknown territory.
I remember going to church consistently, and then I would watch people lift their hands.
And I'm like, man, they're weird.
Like, they're fanatics.
And then I remember actually having moments like that in worship where I'm surrendering and
the words that we're singing are becoming, like, deep and penetrating to my heart.
And I'm being moved to worship, to be attentive to God.
I'm like, man, I'm stepping out into the deep.
So here's what I'm saying.
To put out into the deep, to move out into the deep waters as Jesus invites us to, is
really to release control of your relationship with God.
It's a moment of surrender, and it's about submitting yourself to both his presence and his
work in your life.
It is, for sure, an open handed act of surrender.
And so maybe for you, putting out into the deep is you just starting to come to Sandals
church.
Maybe you're watching for the first time, or someone sent you this, or you're at a church
campus now and you're like, wow, what am I doing here?
I'm with Jesus, people.
This is deep water for you.
Maybe for some of you, moving out into the deep is realizing that your understanding of God
is just changing.
Like, you used to have a relationship with Jesus, and things made sense.
They were simple, they were rich.
But now it feels confusing.
You're praying, but you haven't heard from God.
You're in the deep.
Life is in the deep for you.
It's confusing, but you're still going through it.
Maybe your community has changed dramatically.
Like, you had a community that used to help you grow in Christ.
Things made sense, and now you're a bit more isolated than you've ever been.
Like, you're in the depths now.
And so maybe for some of you, though, like, getting into the deep is getting involved,
being more committed, being more open with your life.
Like, you're ready to follow Jesus and you're ready to do so by serving other people.
Maybe you have two different life options as you begin the new year, right?
Like, you want to take this risk, but it's where your passion is and the temptation is just
to kind of stay in the safe area, the shore, like, where things make sense and you're
provided for.
Where is God inviting you?
That's the question I want us to spend time reflecting on now.
Take a moment to Journal and to think about this question.
Where is God inviting me?
To move out into the deep, to launch out into the deep by asking God, what is your will for
my life?
To open your hands and to pray.
The words of Jesus, your kingdom come, your will be done.
Now, again, though, the temptation is just to say, nah, I'm good.
I'm not moving from the shore.
It's comfortable here.
It's safe here.
And I know that that pull is strong because of fear, because of the things that frightened
us.
And so let me be clear.
There's plenty of good fears in our lives that keep us safe.
They're good boundaries, guardrails.
But I'm referring, though, to the kinds of fears in our lives that actually restrict us,
that narrow us, that actually shrink us from experiencing the full life that God has for
us.
These are the kinds of fears that lead us to make bad choices and decisions in our
relationships.
Fear will lead you to settle in a relationship with someone.
Fear will lead you to cave to extended family's expectations of you.
Fear will lead you to make bad decisions with your money.
Fear will lead you to take jobs that you shouldn't take.
Fear will lead you to cave to the peer pressure around you.
Right?
Those are the kinds of fears that shrink our lives, not expand them to the fullness of what
God is inviting us into.
And so I want to acknowledge, though, that, listen, moving out into the deep is always,
always frightening.
And because it's so frightening, it keeps us stuck at the shore.
And so, even as Jesus invites us today, I want you to move out into the deep.
You're like, no, I'm good.
I'm good.
Fear has you in many different places.
Maybe fighting it, you're feeling a bit defensive.
Maybe you're fleeing it, like you're just cutting yourself off from God's vision.
Maybe some of you are frozen, like you can't move.
You're not sure what to do.
Others of you are fusing yourselves with other people, right?
So you see others stagnant, so you just kind of are stuck with them.
Maybe some of you are fixating on your fears and you think control is telling you you can
manipulate the situation to give you a desired outcome that you want, that will make you
more comfortable.
Some of you are just floundering in, like, some new addiction, whether maybe it's food or
social media or sex or some other kind of hobby spending.
All of us are tempted and drawn to kinds of habits that just numb the feelings of fear in
our lives.
And those things are very real.
And so I want to just ask you and take a moment and have you reflect on the second
question.
What are the fears that you are carrying today that are keeping you from moving out into
deep water?
Take some time.
Listen to God and name those fears.
The good news of Jesus Christ is that God has a profoundly beautiful life for us.
But guess what?
It's in the deep waters of transformation.
And I say that because I want you to know that even in light of your fears, that Jesus is
here today.
He's in this very room.
He is next to you.
He is speaking to you.
And even in the face of your fears, the reality of what frightens you most, he's still
inviting you to meet him, to move out into the deep waters of life.
But I want to be careful here, because I know many of us, we're just like Peter, and we're
tired, like, we're exhausted for good reason.
2023 has felt like a long night, and you've caught nothing.
And so what you need to hear in the deepest part of your soul today are what Jesus said to
Peter and the rest of his disciples there in verse ten.
Don't be afraid.
In the face of what was frightening them, but also in the face of the wonder and awe of
what God did in the deep.
Jesus responds with this phrase, don't be afraid.
Now, if you were to ask me what I think some of Jesus's best responses are, this would be
up there near the top of my favorite things that Jesus says, and here's why.
It's a common response from him, but it's also a compelling one, because in moments when
Jesus says, don't be afraid, I think he's acknowledging both the complexity of life in
being a human being and learning to trust God.
Like, there's a kind of sympathy to him.
Yes, he's fully God, but he's also fully man, so he knows what it's like to be you and I.
And so he's not dismissing our fears today.
He's not laughing them off, but he's saying, listen, we don't have to stay there.
Like, we can name them for what they are, but they don't have to keep us where we are.
And the apostle Peter, in this moment, had no idea what laid ahead of him until he saw that
catch come up into the boat, until he saw the gravity of how much they actually caught, so
much so that they actually were beginning to sink.
And I think many of us are in that same place.
We have no idea of the kind of transformation that God longs to do in all of us if we would
just move out into the deeper places of life and of the water so that we might be
transformed.
Because, listen, moving out into the deep is always more wonderful than I can imagine.
I love this verse from Ephesians one, where the apostle Paul says, all praise to God, the
father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us.
Listen now with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, because we are united with
Christ.
Now, if you are hearing that passage rightly, Paul is saying, all that we can possibly
need, we already have in Jesus.
It's already ours.
And it is so easy to miss the reality that we are already swimming in the blessings of God,
because the fear that's right in front of us.
And there's a way that we can reflect on what's happened to us in 2023 and neglect the
significant presence of God's blessings in our lives.
So much has transformed you.
So much has done something to your soul, which is why we've needed this time of reflection.
But this time of reflection is also so that we might get a sense of clarity and that we
might get confronted with how things really are.
And if you are in Jesus, then you are really and fully blessed in God.
And all that you need for life, you already have in Christ.
And so the invitation to move out will lead us to a place where we experience a kind of
transformation that is so much more wonderful than we can possibly imagine and leave us, I
think, in a place in which we're in awe of what can happen in our lives, in awe of what can
happen in our relationships, in awe of what can happen when we get vulnerable, when we shut
off false versions of ourselves.
And we actually operate from a sense of who we truly are before God and before people.
Now, I want you to hear me clearly.
What I'm offering to you today is not a technique.
This is not a formalaic approach to the christian life.
In other words, this is not a, do a, then b, and then you'll get the result of c.
That's not what this is.
But what I am offering you today is to seriously consider the invitation of Jesus, to move
out into the deep and to know that transformation does happen there.
Because when you go out to those places, your view of God is transformed.
You are transformed.
The way you see the world is transformed, and then you actually become a gift to people.
Like transform people, people who are confident in who they are in Christ and can take
risks and be a demonstration of who God is in the world.
They're a gift to be around.
And that's the result that we can have.
That's the hope, is that we might be a gift to the world in 2024 in the way that we have
become transformed by following Jesus into the depths into those places of transformation.
And so, man, think about where he's inviting you.
Be honest about what those fears are, but know that something wonderful is coming.
Something wonderful is coming to all of us.
And so, as we end, I actually want to just create an opportunity for us to allow the words
of Jesus to be prayed over our lives.
And so I'm going to just repeat a phrase from this passage.
I'm going to encourage you just to close your eyes.
Maybe if you're in a position where you're comfortable, just open your hands and allow me
just to say the words of Jesus over you as we close.
Jesus speaking now.
Move out into the deep waters and don't be afraid.
Let's pray together.
Heavenly Father, would you help us as a church, as we enter into a new year, to meet you in
the depths of our lives?
Would you help us, God, to know where you are, inviting us to move deeper in our
relationships, deeper in our practices.
And would you help us to name those fears and still move forward?
Because, Jesus, you plan to transform us in this next year.
This year can be great and new, not because there's something special about January, but
because there's something special about you.
You are the same yesterday, today and forever.
And so we look to you now.
Would you transform us?
We pray these things in Jesus name.
Amen.
Hey, Sandals church.
Thank you so much for watching this message with Pastor Fredo today.
I hope you guys have had a good time being able to reflect on this year that we've just
had.
As we get prepared for the new year, as we wrap up our time today, I would love to invite
you to become a partner with Sandals Church.
And one way to do that is by going to donate.
Sc.
I love you guys.
I hope you have a safe and happy New Year's Eve.