The Gospel Project® for Adults

POINT 1 DISCIPLES ARE CALLED TO ACT IN FAITH

(LUKE 5:1-4).

1 As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word,
he was standing by Lake Gennesaret.
2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake;
the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.
3 He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon,
and asked him to put out a little from the land.
Then he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water
and let down your nets for a catch.”

Explain:

Gennesaret

Verses 1-3 (the bold words fill in blanks in the DDG):

Jesus asked a small request of Simon,
perhaps to gauge his obedience

in light of a larger request to come.
Those who are faithful with little will be entrusted with much.

Discuss:

• When we obey God,
  what is that saying about our understanding of Him?
• (He has authority;
• He is all-knowing, so we know He knows what’s best;
• He is good and wants our good;
• He is worthy to be obeyed)

Explain:

Verse 4 (the bold words fill in blanks in the DDG):

Jesus’s commands,
indeed the commands of Scripture as a whole,
may seem unwise or counterintuitive to us,
but they are worthy of our obedience nonetheless.

Transition:

With this odd request, Jesus set the stage
for Peter to follow the commands of God,
even when they are costly and illogical
from our vantage point.