Families that Follow Jesus, Week 8 - June 21, 2026

Jun 21, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Preaching Waits on Praying

Jesus consistently withdrew to lonely places to pray before engaging crowds or miracles. His ministry flowed from secret moments with the Father, not just public activity. Like a soldier arming before battle, Christ’s power emerged from unseen communion. Those who follow His model must prioritize prayer as spiritual preparation, not just a prelude to action. Daily battles for souls demand daily surrender in quiet spaces. [52:32]

"Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed."
(Luke 5:16, ESV)

Reflection: Where in your schedule this week can you carve out uninterrupted space to "withdraw and pray" like Jesus? What distractions most often compete with this priority?

Day 2: Spotting the One in the Sea of Many

Amid pressing crowds, Jesus fixed His attention on specific individuals—a frustrated fisherman, a shunned leper, a paralyzed outcast. He moved through masses without being consumed by them, seeing eternal value in single souls. The call isn’t to minister broadly but to love specifically, asking God to highlight divine appointments disguised as interruptions. [56:55]

"Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. When they could not find a way to get him in, they went up on the roof and lowered him through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus."
(Luke 5:18-19, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your circle feels like a "paralyzed" burden needing carried to Jesus? How might you help bridge their gap to Christ this week?

Day 3: Nets Breaking Under Heaven’s Math

Professional fishermen caught nothing until the carpenter-turned-rabbi told them where to cast. Obedience to Christ’s counterintuitive instructions turned empty nets into sinking boats. His power multiplies meager offerings beyond human metrics, proving that kingdom math defies earthly logic. What’s been caught in your strength must be surrendered to His strategy. [59:33]

"Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch. Simon answered, 'Master, we’ve worked hard all night and caught nothing. But because you say so, I’ll let down the nets.'"
(Luke 5:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been "fishing all night" in your own strength? What would it look like to cast nets where Jesus directs today?

Day 4: Mats Become Megaphones

Jesus didn’t just heal the paralyzed man—He commanded him to carry the mat that once carried him. Our past limitations become platforms for proclaiming God’s power. What we once leaned on becomes evidence of His intervention. Every delivered person holds a mat-story waiting to be shared. [07:40]

"Immediately he stood up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God."
(Luke 5:25, ESV)

Reflection: What "mat" from your past (a struggle, habit, or shame) has Jesus transformed into a testimony? Who needs to hear about that mat this week?

Day 5: From Fish Guts to Frontlines

Peter’s fish-stained hands became soul-winning tools. Levi’s tax booth became a revival station. Christ repurposes ordinary lives for eternal impact when we respond to His "follow me." Our greatest purpose emerges where His power has already proven real. The call isn’t to abandon our world but to invade it with redeemed identity. [01:06:07]

"After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. 'Follow me,' he said. Leaving everything, Levi got up and followed him."
(Luke 5:27-28, ESV)

Reflection: What ordinary space in your life (workplace, hobby, routine) is Jesus asking you to reclaim as holy ground for His mission?

Sermon Summary

Luke sets Jesus by the lake with the crowd pressing in, but the scene keeps turning on four words that shape a life: prayerful, personal, powerful, purposeful. Jesus models it in sequence. Before Jesus stands before the masses, Jesus stands before the Father. Luke frames it with rhythms of withdrawal and return, silence and speech. Solitary places, long nights, hidden communion. The battle for souls starts on the knees, not on the shoreline. The hidden life fuels the public work. The armor goes on before the boat pushes off.

Then the crowd swells, but the eyes of Jesus never blur. Luke names the press of people, then keeps narrowing the lens: Simon, the leper, the friend on a mat, Levi at a booth. In the middle of noise, Jesus sees the one. The Shepherd will always leave the ninety‑nine to go after the one, so the call lands close to home. In a VBS class, on a Kentucky street, at a cubicle or a ball field, the kingdom moves one name, one wound, one story at a time.

Power breaks in next. Empty nets meet a word that fills two boats to the sinking point. Professional effort runs into divine surplus. Jesus can do more in five minutes than anyone can in five hundred years, and the leper and the paralytic prove it. Untouchable becomes clean with a touch and a sentence. Unmovable stands, carries the very mat that carried him, and walks out in full view. When Jesus gets involved, he not only shows up, he shows out. But Luke will not let the spectacle be the point.

Purpose crowns the power. The catch is a sign, not a finish line. “From now on you will fish for people.” The cleansed man is sent to do things the right way before God. The healed man is commissioned to tote his testimony like a banner. Levi rises from compromise into a new vocation, opens his house, and turns his table into a mission field. Wherever Jesus reveals his power, he is revealing his purpose. The changed place is the called place. The old mat becomes the new pulpit. The family tree that bent toward brokenness can turn when one man answers the call and casts on the other side of the boat, not with bravado but with “Because you say so.”

Key Takeaways

1. Before people, stand before God The hidden room is the war room. Intercession is not a warm‑up; it is the work that steadies the heart, sharpens the eyes, and straps on the armor. Mission without prayer becomes motion without power, especially when the shoreline is crowded and the nets feel light. Let the day begin where Jesus began, then step into the battle. [112:32]
2. In the crowd, see the one Ministry loses its edge when faces turn into a blur. Jesus keeps calling names in noisy places, which means attention is a form of love. The hardest kid in the class or the coworker who grates may be the one heaven is already circling. Ask for eyes to locate, linger, and love. [57:55]
3. Jesus multiplies where effort failed All night can be empty, then a single word can be heavy enough to sink a boat. Obedience on Jesus’ terms often runs against professional instincts, but abundance lives on the other side of “Because you say so.” Surrender does not waste effort; it redeems it. [61:05]
4. Power reveals purpose, carry your mat Miracles are not souvenirs; they are assignments. The place of healing becomes the place of sending, and the former burden turns into a testimony someone else needs to see. If Jesus showed out in a specific corner of life, that corner is now a calling. Don’t hide it. Hold it up. [66:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[45:39] - Luke 5 read at Gennesaret
[47:35] - Honoring godly fathers
[48:57] - Runaway golf cart laughter
[51:19] - The model of Jesus
[51:51] - Prayerful rhythms and solitude
[52:32] - Before the masses, before God
[55:32] - Pray open eyes, broken hearts, moving feet
[56:17] - Personal ministry amid the crowd
[58:53] - Number three: the powerful model
[61:05] - Net‑breaking catch and divine surplus
[62:56] - Four unlikely men transformed
[65:06] - Number four: purposeful calling
[67:40] - What mat are you carrying
[70:04] - Prepare for battle in prayer
[72:10] - Cast on the other side
[73:21] - Your story is someone’s lifeline
[80:05] - Closing prayer and sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Luke 5:1-11 (ESV)
1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on [Jesus] to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 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. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 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 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “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 that they had taken, 10 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.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Observation questions

What did Jesus ask Simon to do after he finished teaching the crowd from the boat?
How did Simon respond when Jesus told him to let down the nets, and what happened immediately after they obeyed?
What specific phrase did Jesus use to redefine Simon’s purpose after the miraculous catch of fish?
In the sermon, four unlikely men encountered Jesus in Luke 5 (Simon, the leper, the paralytic, Levi). What common thread connects their stories? [51:02]

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus chose to perform a miracle involving fish after Simon had already worked all night without success? What does this reveal about His priorities?
Simon’s response to the miracle was, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man” (v. 8). Why might encountering Jesus’ power lead to a deeper awareness of personal brokenness?
Jesus told Simon, “From now on you will be catching men” (v. 10). How does this statement reframe the purpose of the miracle beyond just meeting a physical need?
The sermon emphasized that Jesus “sees the one” in a crowd. How does this focus on individual encounters challenge common assumptions about ministry success? [56:55]

Application questions

The sermon stressed starting the day in prayer as preparation for “battle.” What practical step could you take this week to prioritize time alone with God before engaging your daily responsibilities? [54:02]
Think of a situation where you’ve felt like you were “working all night and catching nothing” (v. 5). How might surrendering that area to Jesus’ direction—even if it seems counterintuitive—lead to unexpected outcomes?
Who is the “one” person in your life (e.g., workplace, family, community) that God might be asking you to notice and love intentionally this week? What specific action could you take to engage them? [57:55]
The healed paralytic was told to “carry his mat” as a testimony. What “mat” (a story of God’s power in your life) have you been hesitant to share? How could you use it to encourage someone this week? [07:40]
Simon left everything to follow Jesus after the miracle. What habit, relationship, or mindset might God be asking you to “leave behind” to fully embrace His purpose for you?

Sermon Clips

32s

#TryHisWay

“``There's somebody here this morning that the Lord brought you here this morning on Father's Day two thousand twenty six to remind you of his power. You're not catching anything, man. You're not catching anything, miss. You you you've tried your own way for so long and you're working so hard, you're just not seeing any results. It's just not working. Teenagers, it's just not working. You're not getting anywhere. What what what if you what if you tried his way?”

27s

#ShareYourTestimony

“You're not gonna need that mat anymore. As you carry that mat around, make sure that you make sure to tell people what that you used to lie on that mat, but you don't need it anymore because Jesus got involved in your life. What what mat are you carrying around this morning? What matter are you carrying around that that where Jesus has just worked in your life in an incredible way and you need to tell somebody about it?”

38s

#CastOnOtherSide

“What if you cast on the other side of the boat and tried finally and fully and completely say, what? Alright Jesus, I'm in. I I don't know if it'll work or not, but nevertheless at your word I'm going all in with for you. As a teenager, man, I'm gonna step up and say, I'll be the I'll be the young man, the young woman that you called me to be. I'll stand out from the crowd. I'll be the mom. I'll be the dad. I'll You know what? I'm ready to to to cast on another side because it's just not working what I'm doing.”

40s

#LoudTestimony

“And then for somebody else this morning, man, God has God has worked powerfully in your life but he did so for a purpose, man. He didn't demonstrate his power just so you could go about your life. That place where he worked is the place where he's calling you to use that for his glory. That mat, that testimony, he needs that. He needs you to not be silent about it, but to be loud about it so you could help somebody. And he's calling to a greater purpose this morning. Listen. I've tried to be faithful to say what God's heart is this morning. I turn it over now to him.”

35s

#FishingForMen

“Jesus has done incredible things. Watch this this morning. Wherever you answer that question, however you answer that question, Jesus Christ always reveals his power because he's trying to reveal his purpose. Right. Anytime Jesus reveals his power, he always does so because he's got a greater purpose. Look at it in Luke chapter five. He demonstrated in his power in the lives of Simon because from that that point on, he would no longer be fishing for for fish. He'd be fishing for men.”

32s

#RedeemedToReveal

“If Jesus has revealed his power in your life, then he did so because he wants to reveal his purpose. Where has he revealed his power? Say, man, he he he brought me he I went through a I went through a terrible time in my life and and now I'm on the other side of it. He needs that. He brought me out of a life of addiction to drugs or alcohol or pornography. Jesus needs that.”

33s

#ChangeOneLife

“For somebody this morning, the Lord wants to say, regardless of where you came from, he can still change your life. If he can change these four men, if he can change the people in this room, he can change anybody. For somebody else this morning, you came in here for Father's Day, and man, your dad was not the best example. And God wants to say this morning very clearly that one man can change the direction of a family tree. Amen?”

34s

#SeekTheOne

“The one person in your class this week in Vacation Bible School. The one person in your group. The one person on the mission trip. The one person on your street. The one person on your ball field. The one person in your family. In the midst of the crowds, let's never forget about the fact that Jesus wants to change every life. Remember from Luke chapter 15 just a few weeks ago that Jesus left behind the 99 in search of the what? He cares about the one, Millbrook.”

37s

#SeeBehindTheBehavior

“It might be the one that's causing all kind of disruption in the classroom. It it it might be the one that's aggravating you to death in vacation bible school. It might be the person at work that drives you absolutely crazy. Have you ever thought about the fact that the reason they might drive you crazy is because things might be a wreck at home? God, may we see the one. May we follow your model in the midst of a busy crowd to see where you are at work.”

27s

#StandBeforeGod

“There's this word from the Lord this morning to the first thing this morning is that before Jesus stood before the masses, Jesus stood before God. Millbrook, before we stand before the masses next week at Vacation Bible School, before we go out on mission and whatever mission we're involved in this summer. Before we stand before people, we gotta stand before God. Preach it.”

26s

#ShareYourFreedom

“Because what the bible says is that you you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. But what we usually do in the church is Jesus sets us free and then we don't ever talk about it. just sit on it. We're silent about it. And what the Lord's coming in here this morning is, Melbrook, he's coming in saying, listen. Where I demonstrated my power, I did so because I had a greater purpose.”

26s

#BattleForSouls

“Christianity is not about getting saved so we can occupy a padded seat for the rest of our life. Amen? Amen. Christianity is about being dropped behind enemy lines to rescue prisoners of war on behalf of our commanding officer Jesus Christ. That's what Christianity really is. If anybody told you anything different, they lied to you. It's a battle for souls.”

39s

#PurposeFromPower

“where the power of Jesus gets involved. But watch this. Please don't miss this this morning. The reason Jesus gets involved and the reason he demonstrates his power is because he demonstrates his power in order to call them to a greater purpose. Let me ask you a question. Where has Jesus Christ revealed his power in your life? You say, man, Jesus saved me from an incredible background. Man, Jesus restored my marriage. Man, Jesus restored my health.”

32s

#TellSomeoneToday

“There's some mats around here this morning that that need that that we need to tell what Jesus has done in our life because somebody else in here needs that. Somebody else is going through addiction. Somebody else is going through that same health condition. Somebody else is going through that same trial. And they need you like they've never needed you before to reveal your purpose. Let's stand, please. Would you please stand?”

30s

#ModelOfJesus

“we see this model of Jesus. So so so I wanna be very specific this morning. What is the application? What is God calling us to do? Millbrook Baptist Church, God is calling us to follow the model of Jesus to prepare for battle on a daily basis. I wanna ask you, as we prepare for Vacation Bible School, as we prepare for Kentucky, as we prepare for this summer to engage lostness in Aiken, South Carolina, I wanna ask us to prepare as Jesus prepared.”

32s

#GenerationalPower

“The power of Jesus Christ can change an entire generational because of the power of Jesus. And so when Jesus gets involved, we see that the model of Jesus is always very powerful. And then finally, not only is the g the model of Jesus prayerful, not as a personal, not as a powerful, but it's also purposeful. The model of Jesus Millbrook is purposeful.”

27s

#BeJesusWithSkinOn

“Pray this prayer. God, would you please open my eyes? God, would you please break my heart? God, would you please move my feet? Pray it on a daily basis. God, as I get up for this day, as I prepare to go into the battle, I put on the full armor of God. And may I see with your eyes, fill with your heart, go with your feet. May I be Jesus with skin on to a to a community that needs.”

34s

#FindTheOne

“And there's this call in Luke chapter 15 to leave behind the 99 and this call to look for the one, to locate the one and to love the one. And there's this there's this call by the Lord this morning to follow the model of Jesus this week to see the one. To see the one that needs life in his name. To see the one whose world may have just fallen apart”

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