The Next Step

Well Buongiorno and all of God's people said? Amen. Yeah, we got about none of God's people here this morning. They'll probably come to the second service. Watch my lips. Buongiorno and all of God's people repeated? Buongiorno, yes, thank you. Great to be here again. You know, we have been part of this fantastic family of God for these many years. And like Val said, we got appointed in 1977. And since that time, many, many, including your pastors, and many of you have come, many have contributed, many have prayed. We have so many friends here, and it's a good thing that we are part of Twin Lakes and have been for. Well, I try to wonder how did this relationship start? Because back in 1977, this is what showed up in your church.

Now, what is that all about? 1977 till now, I'm not good in geography, but how many years is that? How many years? Val said it. It's like 50 or 60 years. And they say that as time goes on, like good wine or something else, things get better. Things get more refined. Or things just get stranger, because this is what people think that we're like after these many years. It's who we are. So let's go to Valenzuela 2.0, our family. Recently, we celebrated our daughter's wedding in Napoli to a young man, and we are so pleased that they are now here in America.

Please just get this phone number if you would like. Send me a text, and I would be more than pleased to send you an update monthly as to what's going on, what we're doing, where we're at, why we're doing it, because there's a lot going on. And we encourage you, if you would like to, 'cause I'm not gonna speak about our ministry this morning, go to NaplesAlive.com, and there's tons of information. We want you to be informed. We want you to be able to pray in a more concerted way, a more intelligent way. And maybe you would be one day inclined to come over, as many have, and we are so pleased with those who have made that effort to be part of our lives over there.

You know, when we come back to the States, it's somewhat strange, because we hear from a lot of people, oh my, now how God is blessing you. Oh my, how wonderful to be his servant over there. Oh, what a wonderful thing you're doing. And, but that's not for me. I could never do that. I'm too much of a sinner. I'm off of God's radar. He would never want to use someone like me. And I'm just a bus driver. I'm just an architect. I'm just a teacher. And they say these things. And I'm wondering, how did all that happen?

And then to add insult to injury, you come to a wonderful church like this, and you see excellence in everything, don't you? It's an amazing ministry. And then you go home after seeing all of this excellence, and you say to yourself, well, maybe I'm just not gonna, I'm just not the one that God wants to use. I'm a different type of a person. I'm one that's maybe off his radar, and he doesn't really see me, or he's interested in me, or maybe your perspective is wrong. And maybe you're just not seeing what's so obvious in these 66 wonderfully inspired books of God.

Maybe you're not seeing the very, very obvious, which reminds me of a story of Sherlock Holmes not seeing the obvious. So he and his companion Watson are taking a hike through the mountains. It's a beautiful evening. And so they put their pup tent down. It's late at night, and they go in for the night. They bed down for the night. Sherlock is startled during the evening, and he wakes up, and he touches Watson, Watson, look up and tell me what you see. Now Watson knows the very analytical and very astute mind of this sleuth, Sherlock. You know, Sherlock is the one that doesn't just simply go out and say, oh, this happened, and then, no, he says, hmm, look it, bop, bop, bop, therefore I deduce.

So Watson, he knows he's on trial. So he says, oh my goodness, he's looking up at this cloudless night with millions of stars, and he says, Sherlock, I see a lot of stars, but I'm thinking that there are more stars out there than I can actually see. Sherlock was very good, Watson, and continue. And therefore, I'm seeing these stars that are more than I can see, blah, blah, blah, and therefore, there's probably more galaxies. Yeah, good, good, continue. And he continues on, you know, with this continual analytical mind that he has to relate to Sherlock, what he's seeing. And then finally, he says, and then the stars, and blah, and therefore I deduce that there is life out there in the universe.

And Sherlock looks at him and says, Watson, you idiot, someone stole our tent. Now there's a remedial class, for those of you who didn't get the joke, and that's in room 14B. It's so obvious that you maybe have missed what God is revealing to you in Scripture, because we're gonna see something in the life of not an ordinary fisherman, maybe a sub-ordinary fisherman in the life of Peter. You have your notes in Luke chapter five, and there is just an amazing story. And maybe this is not obvious to you, but it's clear, and we're gonna see it.

And my prayer is at the end of this message. You will see how God desires to use not even an ordinary, but just sub-ordinary person to be a great instrument in his mighty plan. I know that's what you want for your life. It's what every believer would desire. And I know it's your heart's desire, whether you see the obvious or not. So in this chapter five, just before we get into reading about it, because there's a step that Peter's gonna take, a great gigantic step of faith. This is before now, Jesus has done any great miracles. This is before he's done any great, he's not a great, well-known person at this point. He hasn't done a lot of healings. He's at the beginning of this three-year ministry.

And then this encounter happens near where Peter and the rest of his friends are just doing what is natural for them, fishing. So let's read verse one to verse four. One day, as Jesus was standing at the Lake of Ganesareth, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw on the water's heads two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats belonging to Simon, this would be Peter, and asked him to put a little bit out from the shore. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

So you have this scene here. All these people are coming around to hear Jesus. And he's teaching all these people the word of God. Because you know, after thousands of years, if there's one principle that's true in scripture, it's no man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And so these people are hungry, much like you, week after week, maybe for some, year after year, maybe for others, decade after decade, wanting to learn the word of God, wanting to understand, beginning to figure out what is God doing in our lives.

And so we use scripture as an understanding, like a GPS to signal our life on the way to the Lord. And crowds are gathering. And he could see them all, much like this church. But he has nowhere to go. So he needs to tell these people the great news of the word of God. So he needs a boat. He needs some kind of a way to back off and so all people can gather on the shore. He needs a special kind of a boat. He needs a unique kind of a boat. He looks around and he, oh, there's my boat. An empty one with no fish in it. That's Peter's boat.

And so he looks at this and he sees all these boats and he puts it out. And then verse four, he says, "When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out to the deep water and let it down, let down the nets for a catch." Now, he's not even asking. Remember, we're at the beginning. He's not even saying, say Peter, would it be okay? What if you think, he doesn't say please. He doesn't say, may we try? Look at verse four. He just says, we're gonna do this. This is what I want you to do. Well, I'm Peter. Let's just go back in that person's mind. And I look at this guy who, first off, jumps into my boat, maybe because I have no other fish in here and I am the emptiest boat in the dock.

And he comes up to me and now he's commanding me and look at verse five, his answer. And Simon says, we've worked hard all night and we haven't caught anything. Maybe you don't understand, Jesus. I'm a fisherman and I haven't caught anything. And I'm wondering, a lot of people, week after week, you know, they come to church. And it's like Peter says, I've worked hard and my heart's still empty and my boat's still empty. I've done all there is to do. And when you look at verse five, you just underline worked hard. That means toil. That means sweat. That means all night, he and his companions are tossing out that, they're not fishing, they're tossing out that and they're bringing it in and they're tossing it out and they're bringing it in.

And every time they bring it in, it's empty. And he says, we've done this time and again, I've given my best. This is what I do. I've tried, I've done it. There's nothing in the net. Let me ask you a question, Jesus. What part of we didn't get anything, don't you understand? What part of that is hard for you to grasp? And so like so many others, I think sometimes we think that God doesn't see, if this might pull back on, he does not see our lives. And yet he does. He sees everyone, like Peter, just discouraged. We've worked hard. We didn't catch anything and God sees that discouragement.

People who have done all, they've worked hard, they've done everything and we have a discouraged heart. We just don't have anything to show for it. There's a lot of people just like that. That might be you this morning. I'm just discouraged. I've done everything. I've done all that I could to make my family a good family, my work, my personal being. And I've worked hard and I got nothing to show for it. Discouraged. God sees that. He also sees people that are really quite, in the sense that just, this sense of disappointment. Because you see, look at Peter. We worked hard. It didn't say he just prayed.

You see, you've done it. Like never before. You've read your Bible. You've come to church. You've prayed. You've come to the seminars. You've done what they've asked. You've done everything. And you turn around, my nets are empty. I'm so disappointed. This thing doesn't work. And I've worked hard all night. He looks at a lot of people that are just dreaming. Maybe like Peter. Looks at all these other boats full of fish. And fish equals prosperity. And prosperity means greatness. And prosperity means you can move along and they're dreaming. God looks at people that are dreaming.

And he sees them dreaming about things that they desire deep in their heart. You look at the happy faces that come to church. You look at that other dad who's got kids that are wonderfully obedient and off to school. And you look at yourself. You look at other moms. You look at other families. You look at other people's jobs. And you dream. You know, you've worked hard. You got nothing out of it. And you're there at Safeway with your cart. And you're dreaming about that other line that you've never been in. You know the one that just goes through? And you're just standing there. So you dream about another Powerball lottery that you're gonna win. Week after week, your boat never docks, does it? It never comes in. And so you dream.

And in the final end, I think that maybe like Peter, God sees how we're disappointed and discouraged and dreaming. And he also sees how oftentimes we're just defeated. You take one last sigh. Look at the empty net. Look at the empty boat. Look at the empty soul. And you say, why bother? It's not gonna happen on my watch. I'm tired of even dreaming. I'm done. I've learned, I've yearned for fullness, fullness. But it's not gonna happen. But wait, there's more. Because you see, you're here this morning. What does that mean you are here this morning? Because you see, yesterday or this morning before you came here, it's not the final chapter of your life.

God is still writing more in your life. And it's not the final chapter of your life, the life of the empty net. You may have a disappointed heart. You may have a discouraged spirit. You may have a dreaming soul. You may have a defeated spirit. But it's not the end, 'cause you're here. You know why? Because when Peter somehow sees all of what's going on in this Jesus who he didn't quite understand, and that may be you, you may not quite understand at all. Something in Peter's heart, he looks at Jesus, like you came this morning and said, I'm coming to church. Maybe I don't even know why. I'm done. But I'll try one more time. And you're here. And God's still working.

And I'll tell you why. 'Cause this is what you said, even in a silent way this morning, without even knowing it. So Peter, in verse five, looks at him. And he says, master, we worked hard all night? Haven't caught anything. He says, but because you said so, I'm gonna throw down the nets. In essence, he says, you're the man. I'm gonna do this. Now, I don't know why. I can't figure that out why. What he saw, and I don't know what you see in Jesus as well, but he still is the master. He knows still the number of hairs on every head. And he knows the number of fish in the sea. He knows how to fill up nets. It's what he does. He's still the master.

And he wants you to grab his hand and take that next step and say, but because you said so, yes. Because you said so. And I don't know who you think Jesus Christ is this morning. Because you see, he's more than a great teacher. He's more than a great example. He's more than a great doer of good. As you look at the 66 books of the Bible, I understand that my master, the one that I said, because you said so, yes, that one, still stands at the crossroads of humanity. He is the only risen one. There is no other. He still is the Lord of Lord and King of Kings. He is more than just a healer, a doer of good. He has the name that is above all names. And one day at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lord and King of Kings.

That's my master. That's the one I said, if you say so, yes. And so Peter does that. And I don't understand all of it, but he recognized and you've got to see that in him, this unique person, the only one risen, the only one that will come back. And then this amazing catch verse six, they see a huge increase in their fish taking in and all these fish and blah, and Peter sees this amazing demonstration of God's power. And many of you without even knowing it, see it week after week, even as that beautiful song that was sung, God's goodness that continually puts on our lives demonstrations of his goodness.

And Peter sees this, you know what he says? Look at this in verse eight, all this fish and all this goodness. And he says, oh my goodness, Jesus, get away from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man. I don't know who you are, Jesus, but you made a mistake. You may be Lord of Lord and King of Kings, and you may be the omnipotent, omniscient God who knows everything, but I don't think you know me, who I am and what I am. You don't really know me. You need to back off 'cause I'm not that person. I'm not the great fisherman that you think. I am not.

And you know how Jesus answered him? What an amazing thing as Peter says, back off. I'm not worthy. Jesus basically says, you're right, Peter. 12-step program, come back in six months and we'll talk about it. You're right, Peter. I tell you, just look at you, check yourself out. You're not the kind of person I need. I don't want you, you're right. And he doesn't say that, doesn't he? He just doesn't really say much and then he gives him a challenge. It's a good thing he didn't say that. You know why? Because he knows you better than you know yourself. He knows who you are, he knows that. He knows all your failings, he sees your empty nets. He knows that you haven't caught anything. He knows you worked hard. He knows everything about you. Everything, every detail. And yet he still calls you.

And yet he still holds out his hand. And yet he still says, take the step with me. I want you. He knows all that. And do you know why? You know, I've studied the Bible all my life now and there is one thing that I, I don't know all these mysteries. There's one mystery that haunts me and it's why God loves me. And in the scriptures, I discovered why God loves me. You know why God loves me? Because he loves me, that's all. And that's what he's doing to Peter. Don't worry about it, Peter. Don't worry about your self-worth and who you think you are and what you're not and all that stuff. You come with me, take my hand and I'm gonna take you on to the next step.

There are at least 134 various names of Jesus in the Bible. Ways that people understand and Appalachians and names and so on. I don't know what is your favorite name. Maybe you think of Jesus as the good shepherd. That's a good name, isn't it? Others think of him, maybe he guided you through tough times, maybe you went through tough and he's your shepherd. Others think of Jesus as, oh, the bread of life. He really fills my soul with truth and understand. Maybe the living water and he refreshes yours. I don't know. Like I said, there's 134 various titles. But there's one particular title. Oh, that gives me personally, great hope for my life, knowing who I am.

Gives me understanding how he fills my nets and gives me hope. But it wasn't even a title. It was more, in that period, it was more like a cuss word. It was an accusation, it was a bad thing. But that bad title is what I hang on. And it's in Matthew chapter 11 verse 19. Jesus, the friend of sinners. He's my friend because I'm a sinner. I'm the one that comes up short again and again. I'm the one that falters, I'm the one that fails. Me, I've worked hard, I've got nothing. Me, he's my friend. He's the one that lifts me up. I'm a sinner and time and again, he comes in, fills my empty nets, gives me hope.

My heart is broken, soothes my weaknesses, gives me power. And if my life is a testimony to one thing, ladies and gentlemen, let me just tell you this, that God does not call the powerful. God empowers the called. I'm called. Are you called? It calls you. Take my hand, come with me. I know this for a fact. Because back in 1968, there was a bum moving through the streets of Europe, hitchhiking, living in open cars, on the streets, like a bum, making no headway in his personal life. And I had nowhere to go. And I was doing nothing. And my life was empty. And there was no hope, and it was bleak.

And one day, just like that song says, "Day I shall never forget." August the 8th, 1968, on a ferry boat in the middle of the English Channel, a young man shares the friend of sinners with me. And my life was changed. And at that very moment, he gave me hope, purpose, and dreams that are bigger than myself. After all these many years, that's the reason why I get up in the morning. Because I love Jesus, who is the friend of sinners. I proclaim him in Italian, and here in this morning at Twin Lakes, the same message. And it's not just a singular event. It's not just for one person. It's just for one. It doesn't just happen for one person. This is continual.

I, we see it all the time. And I'll bet you there are many testimonies here of how God changed your life, right? And he still does that. He still calls the wandering sheep. He still fills the net, still does it. I remember back in 1994, we were in Napoli. I get a buzz on our door. And this young man by the name of Tony Arruta, years of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, every imaginable type of drug he had used, hold ups to get the drugs. His life was a mess. His parents, his relatives had no idea they had seen him continually go down into this miry pit of slavery to drugs and violence and everything. And as a last ditch resort, because they had some relatives that were attending our church, they thought he was demon possessed.

And 'cause they didn't, what is this? Who is this son of ours who is no longer a son of ours? And forget it, watch the video. It's better. I dealt drugs in order to take drugs. I robbed to get drugs. I snatched handbags on my motorcycle to get drugs. And I tricked people. Tony Arruta's life had turned into a gut wrenching mix of drug induced highs and drug deprived lows. He grew up in a poor Italian neighborhood. By his own account, he had a normal childhood and later became a pilot for the fire department. Those were very great times because to top it off, I was wearing a uniform that made me look pretty handsome. And I was successful with women. My car, my motorcycle, women.

As he lived out his dream, Tony began smoking marijuana. That's when things went seriously wrong. Because of my way of life, they fired me because I was more of a problem than something positive. So it was a very bad time in my life. Tony dove deeper into drugs. He was at a party when he used cocaine for the first time. I took it with pleasure that day because the effects were very nice. That began an eight year tug of war with addiction. I also took heroin, which is totally opposite of cocaine. I mean the effects. At the time, as far as I was concerned, the more drugs I took, the more I wanted to take. But when I wasn't taking drugs, these thoughts of my family, my father, my mother used to come to mind.

I was seeing these images and my heart was aching. But it only lasted for a little while because the monster then took over. That's to say my addiction prevailed. I constantly thought, I have to take drugs. I must have an injection. For years, Tony managed to hide his secret life from those closest to him. I was a great actor. I succeeded in masking the whole thing because I found the right excuse at the right moment. In 1994, Tony stole a woman's purse that was filled with money. He knew exactly what he would spend it on. I went to buy drugs, a lot of drugs. And when I fixed, at the very moment when I shot myself, after just a few seconds, I went into a coma. And I remember the last moment, just as I lit the cigarette, I went into the coma.

I remember I was under a lamp. I opened up my eyes under an intense light. I remember the doctor's words. I will never forget it. He said, "We snatched you from death. If it was just a couple of seconds later, we would not have been able to do anything for you." Thank God, I thought. Now hurry up, 'cause I have to get out of here. Afterwards, Tony could no longer keep up the facade. His sister and her husband noticed that something had changed. He was always on edge. So they took him to speak with a local pastor. Tony nearly laughed when the man asked about his problem. When he asked me this, I said, "I don't have a problem. I have a billion problems, but you can't help me." And he said, "Come on, you are here now? Tell me." And I told him all that I was doing in five minutes, from my past to the moment.

He put his hand on my shoulder and he told me, "You're right. I can't help you, but I know the one who can." Then he told me, "Tony, if you put your trust in the name of Jesus, not in a church, not in a religion, not in a pastor, but in Jesus Christ, at this very moment, God can help you. Because He reads your heart." And so with all my heart, I decided to believe in Jesus Christ. And at that moment, a chill came over me. It was an experience Tony had never had before. He knew it was God. I said, "Jesus, I want to look at people's faces. I want to enjoy the sun. I want to smile. I want to love life, the gift you've given us. I want to start over again. Help me." And at that very moment, it really happened.

From that moment on, no more drugs, no more blasphemies, no more robberies, no more swear words, only love for my neighbor, love for myself, and love for life. Fill my net. That's what God does. And you think it ended like that? Are you kidding me? God helped him throughout the nets. And in a matter of time, Tony's dad, Luigi, his mom, Anna, both came to Jesus Christ as his aunt, Pina. And then right after that, Titi, his other sister. And then right after that, Rosela and her husband, Dino, and their kids, Luca and Francesca. And then right after that, his other sister, Mariana, and her husband, Mario, and their kids, Mirko and Mariana. And it continues because that's what he does.

He fills the empty nets with hope, with purpose. And he says, let's take that next step. And he does it for each one who is a sinner, just like me, just like you. Amen? Let me tell you something, folks. When they don't say amen in our church in Italy, I go on for another 45 minutes. Amen? See there? We want to go home. Thank you, Lord, for this great time. Thank you because you care about us. Thank you because you're not just an example. Jesus Christ is more than a good example, more than a great healer of the sick, more than one who did great miracles. He's still, after all these many years, alive and fills the nets of the discouraged, the defeated, of the disappointed, of the dreamers. He fills our nets, gives us purpose, gives us hope. And that's why we share his wonderful name with those around us.

So my friend, if you don't know him, maybe you do. Maybe you don't. If you don't know him in a personal way, call out his name. Whisper his name, even like that song says in the darkness of the night as we sung. Call out his name. See if there's hope for your life, the life of a sinner, the life that he still loves. Jesus is a great healer. He still does things that are going to be amazing. Can't wait to see the miracle he'll do in your life. Thank you again, Lord, for what you've done and what you're going to do for each and every one of us. The wonderful name of Jesus who fills each empty net with his purpose and his life.