Luke 5:1-11

Learning Objectives

• Students will identify a specific area in their life where trusting Jesus seems hard.
• Students will determine to trust Jesus in the above identified area of life.
• Students will acknowledge that Jesus calls them to follow him.
• Students will determine to follow Jesus.
• Students will identify individuals who they should be telling about Jesus.
• Students will make a specific commitment (time/place/degree) to tell the above identified individuals about Jesus.

Introduction

Materials

• Fishing pole with oversized hook attached to the end
• Pieces of candy with string loops that allow the hooks to catch the loops

Main Idea

• Ask students what people go fishing. Answers may include:
  • To catch dinner
  • As part of their job
  • For entertainment
• Choose a few students to try fishing for candy.
• Ask students what it takes to be a good fisherman. Answers may include:
  • Good bait
  • Patience
  • Good fishing location
• How many of you know someone who fishes for people?

Transition

• Today we are going to learn about four fisherman.
• Peter and his friends caught fish for a living, but as we are about to see, one day a man approached them and told them about a way of fishing that would change their life forever.

Main Body

• Read Luke 5:1-3
  • Jesus came up to the shore of a lake and saw two boats sitting on the shore, but the fisherman were not on the boats. What were the fisherman doing? Why were they doing that?
    • The fisherman were washing their nets, this means they were probably done with work for the day. Being on a boat on the water is hard work, surely the men were tired.
  • Jesus asked to use the boat for a special purpose. What was that purpose?
    • Jesus used the boat to preach.

• Read Luke 5:4-7
  • What did Jesus ask the disciples to do?
    • Go out further and fish.
  • What was so odd about this request?
    • They had been fishing all night and caught nothing.
  • What was the result?
    • They caught a bunch of fish.

Trusting Jesus paid off in some serious ways. Are there areas of your life that you should be trusting Jesus? What is an example of such an area? Why is it hard to trust Jesus sometimes?

• You need to be ready to deal with and respond to many answers to this questions. This is a personal application questions and so is by nature hard to answer. Don't let students wander too far astray but also be careful not to stifle their own thinking and reflection.
• As students give answers explicitly ask do you think you can trust Jesus to help you with that?

• Read Luke 5:8-11
  • Why does Peter respond by bowing down?
    • Peter recognized that Jesus was someone important.
  • What does Jesus tell Peter he will do from now on?
    • He will be a fisher of men.
  • What does it mean to be a fisher of men?

Conclusion

• Ask:
  • Do you know that Jesus has called you to follow him?
  • What does it mean that Jesus has called you to follow him?
  • Are you willing to follow Jesus?
  • What if he asks you to give up...?

• Discuss

Not only did Jesus call Peter to follow him. Jesus also called on Peter to become a fisher of men.

• Ask:
  • What does it mean to be a fisher of men?
  • Who do you know that you could tell about Jesus today?
  • Are you willing to obey Jesus and become a fisher of men?

• Offer
  • Present Jesus as calling each and every one of us to a life redeemed from sin.
    • Admit
    • Believe
    • Confess
  • Will you do that today?