MISSION MASCOUTAH: JON REED August 23, 2026

Aug 23, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Empty Nets Meet Unlikely Obedience

Jesus didn’t ask for polished resumes or proven success. He chose fishermen who’d worked all night without a catch, their boats idle on the shore. Obedience often begins where human effort ends—not in shallow self-reliance, but in the deep waters of “because You say so.” True faith isn’t measured by visible results but by willingness to trust Christ’s word over personal exhaustion. What looks like failure becomes the stage for divine abundance when we surrender our empty nets. [31:50]

“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’” (Luke 5:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been relying on your own effort instead of Christ’s direction? What “deep water” step is He asking you to take today, even if it seems illogical?

Day 2: The Uncomfortable Guest in Your Boat

Jesus didn’t just command the boat—He sat down in it. His presence exposes what we’ve hidden in the hull: complacency, half-hearted rituals, or areas we’ve declared “off-limits.” A comfortable faith never transforms anything. True discipleship begins when we let Christ rearrange our priorities, schedules, and secret habits until His mission becomes ours. Revival starts where He’s allowed to shift from passenger to Captain. [46:22]

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: What compartment of your life have you labeled “Jesus wouldn’t care about this”? How might His sitting in your boat change how you steward relationships, time, or temptations?

Day 3: Miracles That Make You Tremble

The same nets that caught nothing now strain under heaven’s abundance—and Peter falls to his knees. Real encounters with God’s power don’t breed pride but holy fear. When we stop reducing Christ to a life coach and rediscover Him as the Lord of creation, our casual religion shatters. Miracles aren’t party tricks; they’re divine mirrors revealing who we truly are before a holy God. [55:57]

“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.” (Luke 5:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: When was the last time God’s presence left you awestruck—not just grateful, but undone? How might holy reverence reshape your prayers or priorities this week?

Day 4: God’s Strange Tools for Eternal Harvest

He chose a boat that belonged to failure. He used nets that had caught nothing. Christ specializes in redeeming our wasted years and empty efforts for His glory. Your past mistakes, current limitations, or perceived inadequacies aren’t disqualifications—they’re the raw materials for miracles. When we stop hiding our “unsuccessful boats,” God fills them until they sink under the weight of His purpose. [38:30]

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7, ESV)

Reflection: What insecurity or past failure have you been ashamed to bring to Jesus? How might surrendering it unlock His power in your weakness?

Day 5: From Fish to Eternity—When Obedience Sinks Ships

The miracle wasn’t about fish. It was about forever. Peter left bursting nets and a lucrative catch to follow Jesus—because once you’ve tasted real purpose, earthly success feels empty. Churches aren’t called to count attendance but to sink under the weight of transformed lives. True revival isn’t measured in emotional moments but in disciples who abandon everything to fish for souls. [53:45]

“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.” (Luke 5:10-11, ESV)

Reflection: What “full boat” of comfort or achievement might God be asking you to walk away from? How can you actively participate in His eternal harvest this week?

Sermon Summary

Luke 5 opens with Jesus preaching by the Sea of Galilee while the crowd presses in to hear the word of God. The name Gennesaret, “garden of riches,” sets the scene as Jesus launches ministry in a place that echoes the garden where the whole story began. Jesus chooses fishermen as his first disciples because his whole ministry is a messianic object lesson: he is making fishers of men.

The boats, oars, and nets show that Simon and his partners had all the right equipment, but they still were not catching fish. The washing of the nets shows more than cleanliness; the nets on the shore look like a sign of giving up. The boats were made for the water, not the beach, and yet there they sat, like people who come into church out of ritual and routine, not really expecting one word from God to change a life.

Jesus steps into Simon’s boat, and God of all creation gets into an unsuccessful resource. The boat becomes a picture of a life made to house Almighty God, a jar of clay meant to carry the Holy Spirit. Jesus then asks Simon to push out a little from the shore, because when Jesus gets in the boat, everything ought to change. Christian baptism is not just a ticket to heaven; it pictures an old life buried and a new life raised for a mission, a ministry, and a new mindset.

Jesus sits down in the boat, and that raises the question of whether Jesus is comfortable there. That comfort reaches into places a person goes, places a person refuses to go, words spoken, words left unsaid, marriage, children, parents, and witness. Jesus teaches from the boat because every life is already teaching. Children, neighbors, and family members are watching the way people cheer at a ballgame and the way they sit in church.

Jesus then commands Simon to go into the deep and let down the nets. Peter answers with the hard truth: “We’ve worked hard all night and didn’t catch a thing.” The words that change everything are, “But because you say so.” Obedience becomes better than sacrifice when God’s people get away from what “some say” and get back to what he says.

The catch becomes so great that nets break and boats begin to sink. The picture is not one little fish, but so many souls that help has to be called in. Peter does not celebrate the money; Peter falls on his knees in fear because only God could do that. Jesus answers, “Don’t be afraid. From now on, you’ll catch men,” and the disciples leave everything to follow him. The final call asks who is captain of the ship, whether Jesus is comfortable in the boat, and whether God’s people will move when God moves.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus steps into unsuccessful boats. Jesus does not wait for Simon’s boat to prove itself before he gets in it. The God of creation steps into a resource that has failed all night, and that is exactly where grace begins to show its power. A life can have nets, oars, and effort, yet still need the presence of Christ more than better technique. [43:28]
2. Comfort matters after conversion. Jesus sitting in the boat presses deeper than religious activity. The real question is whether Christ is comfortable with the hidden habits, the untreated bitterness, the careless speech, and the neglected obedience inside a person’s life. Witness often dries up because the boat has room for Jesus in name, but not in practice. [46:22]
3. Obedience answers failed nights. Peter had real experience, real exhaustion, and a real excuse. Yet “because you say so” became the doorway between failure and fruitfulness. Faith does not deny the empty night; faith lets the word of Christ outrank the evidence of the empty nets. [51:28]
4. God pictures sinking boats. The miraculous catch gives a picture of ministry bigger than small expectations. Jesus does not merely show Simon how to catch a few fish; he shows a harvest so large that partners must be called and boats start sinking. The church is meant to believe God for more than maintenance, routine, and clean nets on the shore. [52:37]
5. Holy fear wakes sleeping churches. Peter’s fear was not panic over fish; it was the shock of realizing he stood in the presence of God. A church can learn fellowship, Bible study, and routine while forgetting that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Holy fear restores weight to eternity and shakes sleepy religion awake.

## [55:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:47] - Luke 5 and the Need for a God Moment
[30:07] - A Testimony of Real Salvation
[31:06] - Jesus Preaches Beside the Boats
[32:34] - God Communicates in Strange Ways
[36:20] - Gennesaret, the Garden of Riches
[37:05] - Fishermen as a Messianic Object Lesson
[38:07] - Having Equipment but Catching No Fish
[39:47] - Washing Nets and Giving Up
[43:28] - Jesus Gets Into Simon’s Boat
[46:22] - Is Jesus Comfortable in the Boat?
[48:29] - Jesus Wants to Teach From the Boat
[50:11] - “Because You Say So” Obedience
[52:37] - The Catch That Sinks Boats
[55:57] - Peter Falls in Holy Fear
[60:48] - From Now On, Catching Men
[62:38] - Who Is Captain of the Ship?
[66:26] - Is Jesus Comfortable in Your Boat?
[68:16] - Moving When God Moves

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 5:1-11
“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone 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 down your nets for a catch.’ And 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 help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they 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.” [28:29]

2 Corinthians 4:7
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” [43:58]

1 Samuel 15:22
“And Samuel said, ‘Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.’” [51:35]

2 Chronicles 7:14
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” [54:26]

Observation questions

In Luke 5, what details show that Simon and the other fishermen had what they needed for fishing, yet still ended up with empty nets?
What are the stages in the passage after Jesus enters Simon’s boat—what does he ask Simon to do first, what does he do in the boat, and what command does he give next? [43:28]
What exactly does Peter say after telling Jesus they had worked all night and caught nothing, and what happened immediately after they obeyed?
When the great catch came in, what were the visible results in the nets and boats, and how did Peter respond to Jesus? [55:57]

Interpretation questions

Jesus chooses an unsuccessful fishing boat and steps into it. What does that suggest about the kind of people and situations Jesus is willing to work through? [43:28]
Peter’s words, “But at your word I will let down the nets,” come after a night of failure. What does that reveal about obedience when experience, fatigue, and disappointment are all pushing the other direction? [51:28]
Jesus sat down in the boat and taught from it. What might it mean for a person’s life to become a place from which Jesus is seen and heard by others? [48:29]
Peter did not first respond with excitement over profit, but with fear and repentance. What does that reveal about what happens when a person truly realizes he is in the presence of the Lord? [55:57]

Application questions

Where does life currently feel like an empty net—work, home, ministry, marriage, parenting, or witness—and what would it look like to say, “Because you say so,” in that very place? [31:47]
Jesus wants to be comfortable in the boat. Is there anything in life right now—an attitude, habit, relationship, entertainment choice, bitterness, or area of disobedience—that would make that question hard to answer honestly? [46:22]
A boat was made for the water, not the shore. Has there been a drift into routine Christianity—showing up, doing the motions, but not really expecting one word from God to change anything? What might help move back out from the shore? [39:47]
Every life is already teaching somebody. What are children, family members, coworkers, or neighbors likely learning from the way life is being lived right now? [49:01]
Obedience is better than sacrifice. Is there a clear step that the Lord has already made known—someone to talk to, sin to confess, forgiveness to offer, habit to break, or risk to take—that has been delayed with excuses? [51:35]
Peter’s catch was so large that partners had to be called in to help. Are expectations for what God can do through the church too small, too safe, or too manageable? What would bigger faith actually look like in prayer and action? [52:37]
“Who is captain of the ship?” is not just a salvation question but a daily one. Looking at the last week, who has really been calling the shots? What evidence points to that answer? [01:02:38]

Sermon Clips

50s

#WakeUpTheChurch

“And you know what another prophecy in the Bible says? That the church would be asleep. And I found that to be true as I go from church to church. There's so many churches asleep. We've learned how to do fellowship. We've learned how to do bible study. But we forgot that the reason Jesus came was to seek and to save. That which is lost. Seems like we've made church about everything but soul winning.”

57s

#JesusInYourBoat

“Here it comes. Are you ready? Jesus wants to be comfortable in your boat. Now, he could've stood on the water and preached, but he's saving that for later. But he's he's standing in the boat, then he goes to sit in the boat. Jesus wants to become let me ask you a question. Is Jesus comfortable in your boat? You know, one of the reasons that I never led anybody to Christ before the age of 21, even though I was in church, number one is because god is not in me. But one of the reasons that that never took place in my life is God, I know, was not only not in my boat, but he never would have been comfortable in my boat.”

40s

#TemplesOfTheSpirit

“The Bible says our bodies are like temples of the Holy Spirit, that we're created to house Almighty God. The Bible says our bodies are like jars of clay, created to house the holy spirit of god, that we're created to hold god in our lives, to have him apart. So this is god getting into an unsuccessful resource, but it gets better. Notice what the Bible says. It says he asked him to put out a little bit from the shore. Now I know y'all have already figured out I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but one thing I figured out is when you get born again, God's always gonna ask you to do something.”

60s

#FaithBeyondHeaven

“He's always gonna ask you to do something. Lot of times, it's always beyond, what you think you can do because God wants to make up the difference and and do something incredible in your life. But I've been to so many churches, and I've talked to so many people that they actually think that being a Christian is just about going to heaven. Listen, folks. If if being a Christian was just about going to heaven, then the best thing brother Ronnie and I can do for you when we baptize you is hold you under the water. And then pull your dead body up out of the water and send you on to heaven. Amen? You say, well, John, that's that's crazy. No. That's not. If if being a Christian was just about going to heaven, then why would we not expedite it? No more pain. No more troubles. That's what we would do.”

26s

#NewLifeInChrist

“But why do we pull you up out of the water? Because it's a picture of the old life being washed away, and the new life coming out of the water, being raised from the dead. For a new ministry, a new mission, a new mindset that it changed. Call me crazy, but I believe when Jesus gets in your boat, everything ought to change. Amen?”

54s

#AlwaysTeaching

“People are watching you. Did you know your children are watching you? Your neighbors are watching you. Your family are watching you. Everyone is watching. You're you're teaching. You know, they watch you when you go to one of these football games or basketball games and you paint yourself purple or green and scores a touchdown or gets a goal or something, you flip out. Wow. And then come to church and look like a bulldog. We will sit in a hard plastic chair for for hours, hoping for overtime, and then come to church. I hope that preacher knows we get out in just a few minutes. You see, we're teaching teaching, always teaching. People are watching us.”

51s

#ReturnToReverence

“And he was afraid. The Bible says they were astonished. You know, I I got to thinking about that. You know, you know, the reason our country's in the shape that is in? It's because our country doesn't fear god anymore. You wanna know why a lot of our churches are in the shape that they're in? It's because our churches don't fear god anymore. You know why maybe that person sitting beside you? That preacher's You know why that person sitting beside you is the way they because they don't fear god anymore.”

35s

#SoulWinningStation

“You see, that's that's that's god's picture. That's not my picture. God says, if you'll do what I tell you to do, we'll catch so many soul, so many fish that we'll sink this church, call me crazy, but I believe god can do that. Amen. Could in just a few weeks, god can choose this place to change people's eternity that this becomes a soul winning station.”

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