What Jesus Says When You’re Ready to Give Up|01.25.26|Each One Reach One pt.4

When was the last time you felt discouraged because something you had tried didn’t work?

My kids are at the age where seemingly simple tasks can become overwhelming and discouraging. I had asked my 4-year-old to get dressed with the clothes that I had laid out for him, because he’s learning how to become more independent.

Well, not even five minutes later, he’s coming in to my room on the verge of tears, holding his shirt in his hands wadded up in a ball. The shirt was inside out and looked like it had been through quite a struggle.

With his lip quivering, my son was telling me how he had tried and tried and tried, but the shirt was always backwards! “I just can’t do it!” he let out as he collapsed on the bed.

When was the last time you experienced something like that? Where you had tried and tried and tried, but it didn’t work. You couldn’t do it.

Maybe you’ve felt that in your faith, when God seemed distant. Maybe you’ve felt that in your efforts to reach your One: “I prayed. I reached out. I tried…but nothing happened.”

And every time you come to church, and I remind you of Jesus’ invitation to reach the One in your life that is close to you but far from God, it feels like another reminder that “you can’t do it.”

And trust me, I understand. I know that feeling on the verge of giving up doesn’t come from a desire to rebel against God! It comes from multiple attempts, getting our hopes up, and then being disappointed when seemingly nothing happens.

Our One ignores our invite. Our prayers seem to be going nowhere. Every time we reach out to them, we get a cold shoulder, or we freeze and don’t know what to say.

And we get to the point of exasperation, and ultimately, feel like quitting. If you’ve felt that way, you’re not alone! Most of us don’t stop obeying Jesus because we don’t care… we stop because we’re tired, and we don’t want to get our hopes up again. And that can be a dangerous thing.

But the danger isn’t in feeling overwhelmed and stepping back ONCE.

The danger is that discouragement subtly trains our hearts to stop listening to God, to stop taking that next step, to stop being obedient to the prompting that God puts on our hearts.

And that’s exactly where our Scripture passage meets us today. In fact, we’ve kind of been building to this moment all month long. Because we’ve been talking about the fact that Jesus’ command for us to “go and make disciples” is actually the mission he gave to each of us INDIVIDUALLY.

MY purpose in life is to help those around me be pointed to Jesus so they can learn to follow him. YOUR purpose in life is to point others to Jesus so they can learn to follow Jesus step by step, even while you’re still learning to follow him yourself step by step.

And this isn’t a burden that Jesus puts on us and expects us to figure out on our own. This whole month, we’ve been looking at the fact that God is the one who moved towards us first. He pours out his love into us first.

Then Jesus models for us that love for others becomes powerful when it becomes personal. That’s why our rallying cry this year is Each One Reach One. Each of us has a PERSONAL call from God to reach our personal Ones.

And Jesus models again that the best way to show love is by drawing near. We can’t love from a distance. And we’re going to be encouraging each other with this theme all year long, because 2026 is the year of Each One Reach One.

But we’re not trying to turn our loved ones into projects. They aren’t tasks to be completed. They are beloved children of God, and he’s working through us to reach them with his love. Taking on this personal mission of Each One Reach One this year is actually more about how God wants to work in US to transform US into people who trust Jesus enough to obey him.

[Scripture Ref]

But what do we do when we’ve already tried, and it hasn’t worked? That’s what our Scripture passage is about today, so open your Bibles to Luke 5 (p47).

As you’re finding it, here’s the context of what we’re about to read: This is very early in Jesus’ ministry, and he has been teaching and healing, and more and more people are following him around in crowds.

He’s already disrupted the expectations of the religious leaders. And he’s actually been to Simon Peter’s house to heal his mother-in-law within the past few days. But our story picks up in the morning, after Simon Peter has been working the night shift, and he’s had a LONG NIGHT.

As we read, I want us to realize this: Jesus isn’t pressing in to Peter on a good day. He’s drawing near to him after failure, exhaustion, and empty nets. Let’s read…

[Luke 5:1–11]

[Luke 5:1-3]

So Jesus can’t really talk to any group of people without the group being too big. The people in the front are pressing in, and the people in the back can’t hear. And he sees two fishing boats pulled up on the shore.

This is before Simon Peter started going by his nickname that Jesus gave him, Peter. He and his partners have just finished the night shift, and they are doing the final cleaning preparations so they can close up and go home and get a little bit of sleep.

Fishing at night was better because the fish couldn’t see the nets, so it was easier to catch fish at night instead of the daytime. This night was not so lucky, and so you can imagine that they are tired, discouraged, and just wishing to forget the awful night of failure they had.

Now, I have a theory that Jesus went to the shore to talk to Simon and James and John, but the crowds start pressing in before he can talk to them, so Jesus pivots and thinks quickly and climbs into the boat without asking.

And I bet Simon Peter wanted ANYTHING more than to be a ferry driver for the travelling preacher, but the guy had just healed his mother-in-law, so maybe doing this little favor for the man would make them square.

Now, notice that our author, Luke, doesn’t give us any of the details of what Jesus taught to the crowds. The important words to pay attention to are the ones between Jesus and Peter once the preaching is done.

[Luke 5:4-5]

“Hey Simon, why don’t we go catch some fish? I noticed you don’t have any…”

Now, If I was a fisherman who had done it for years and years, and could steer the boat without looking, and could tie more knots that I could name… and some GUY who definitely wasn’t a fisherman came and gave me some advice… right after an AWFUL night of fishing… I would have been a bit salty.

Because of course Jesus doesn’t understand that night fishing is better than day fishing. Of course Jesus doesn’t understand that if we didn’t find any all night long, that’s probably because they aren’t right here, and we’ll need to go searching in a different section of the lake. Of course he doesn’t realize that fishing with nets in the shallows is how we’re able to use two boats to pin the fish and they’re trapped in the nets, but going to deep water is just about luck and hoping…

And when we read Simon Peter’s response, you can tell that he isn’t really keen on the idea. “Sir, we’ve worked all night. I’m exhausted. We didn’t catch anything, and I’m feeling pretty sore about the whole thing. And I just cleaned the nets.”

…I tried, and it didn’t work.

I wonder how many of us can relate with that feeling? How many of us have been working for a long time in trying to reach our One? How many of us feel like we’ve been in a really dark season, like the night… and it’s been a LONG night.

You feel like you’ve gotten nowhere with your faith recently. You feel like you’ve TRIED to connect with your One — reaching out to them, sharing God’s love with them, inviting them to come to church with you — but you’ve come up dry on all of it.

And then you come here to church, and you get reminded again that God is inviting us to reach out to the people he puts on our heart.

But you feel tired, you feel disappointed, and you’re just not sure if it’s going to be “worth it” based on what you’ve experienced so far.

But Jesus didn’t ask Peter if it was “worth it” based on his experience. Jesus didn’t ask Peter to think strategically. Jesus simply asked Peter to trust him enough to obey.

And then Simon Peter responds with what I think is the most important part of this entire passage, “Yet if you say so, I will…”

Peter didn’t have a change of heart. It’s not like he was against the idea at first, and then had an epiphany that lets him see what Jesus sees. He hasn’t had a new word from God to finally convince him this is a good idea. In fact, he probably still thinks it’s a bad idea.

But he still OBEYS Jesus. Even while he is tired, even while he’s disappointed, Peter is CHOOSING to obey. Obedience is a choice. And now we get to see how God shows up with miraculous abundance that follows Peter’s obedience.

[Luke 5:6-7]

“When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break…”

Okay, hold on. They had JUST been inspecting and cleaning their nets. So they would have found any weak points or tears. There were no ripped sections.

But they were catching so much fish that they had to signal to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And then the amount of fish filled BOTH boats so much so that they began to sink.

Now, my life group was reading through this passage recently, and we had an observation about the physics of this moment. Because, think about it, in order for the boats to be so filled with enough fish to SINK the boat…there’s no way that 2-3 guys could have lifted that net out of the water and then placed it down in the boat.

So I’m starting to wonder if the fish weren’t just jumping into the boat? I think this miracle is actually way more incredible than we normally think because we’ve heard this story too many times and we stop considering just how impossible it was without a move of God.

Jesus told Peter to go and try again after a long night of failure, and even though Peter wasn’t fully convinced it was a good idea, he still obeyed.

But this miracle of all the fish wasn’t a REWARD for Peter’s faith. It was a result of his obedience. Peter trusting Jesus enough to obey him put him in the right spot to experience a miracle of God that he wouldn’t have experienced if he had chosen to say no.

[Luke 5:8-10]

But I think it’s really interesting to see how Peter responds. It’s not gratitude. It’s not cheering and celebrating. They way that Peter responds to this incredible miracle of grace is to CONFESS his absolute lack of deserving.

Peter knows this is from Jesus. Peter knows that this is a potentially life-changing catch of fish. And Peter also knows that he has done NOTHING to deserve this incredible gift.

He’s so overwhelmed with the immensity of this gift that he can’t stand to stay in the presence of such lovingkindness from Jesus. “Away from me, Lord…!”

Maybe it’s because Peter had spent most of his life like so many of US, believing that he had to work hard to earn his keep. And that means that when he received a true GIFT of grace, he’s unsure how to receive it or accept it. Because he doesn’t think he could ever earn it or pay it back.

[Luke 5:10-11]

Peter’s reaction is shame and unworthiness. But Jesus’ response is comfort and invitation. He doesn’t say, “Now earn this.” He doesn’t say, “You can pay me back later.” He says, “Do not be afraid…come with me because I’ve got a mission for you.”

We often think that we have to prove ourselves before we’re given more responsibility. We’ve got to do well at the job we have before we get the promotion. We have to work hard to earn the good things in life. We think that once we show how hard we’re working or show how much we’re growing, THEN we get the approval.

But in the economy of heaven, our calling flows from GRACE, not performance. Jesus shows us his grace, gives us the gift of his life, REASSURES us of our standing as his beloved children even when we think we don’t deserve it, and then keeps calling us into his mission!

And this incredible gift of grace is something we could never earn or pay back, but it is given to us freely out of the lovingkindness of our heavenly Father through the life of the Son and daily delivered to us again and again by the Spirit at work in us.

Jesus’ response to Peter’s confession and shame is just more grace and comfort. He says “do not be afraid” because he wants to comfort Peter. He wants to make sure that Peter knows he won’t be holding this over his head. Jesus won’t be keeping a tally to ensure that every fish is repaid.

“Do not be afraid…” because this is only the beginning. From now on, you won’t be catching fish, because I’m going to teach you how to catch people.

Jesus started his interaction with Peter by offering some questionable advice on how to catch fish. Peter wasn’t sure if he could trust Jesus’ advice, but he trusted JESUS and chose to obey him anyway.

And now Jesus says, “see what I can do with the fish? Now come learn from me to see what I can do with people.”

And so the fishermen bring their boats ashore and leave everything behind to follow him. Even though they’ve just experienced the biggest catch of fish in their life. Even though the sale of the fish could have been turned into investing in their business, increasing production, buying more boats, hiring more help, growing their fishing business…

But they know they’ve actually found something incredibly MORE valuable in the person of Jesus. And they choose to leave behind their old life in order to follow the One who is showing them what a full, abundant life is really like.

[Jesus is asking]

We have the same opportunity each and every time that Jesus shows us his invitation to follow him. We have an opportunity to turn from our old way of life, our old way of thinking, so that we can learn Jesus’ way of life.

Right here, right now, Jesus is asking you to trust and obey him. Will you?

Right in the middle of your experience right now, right in the middle of your thoughts and feelings, right in the middle of what you’ve tried and you think it won’t work…

Jesus is asking you to trust him and obey him. Will you?

He’s not telling you to try harder. He’s not telling you to “be better.” He’s not telling you to find the right tactic.

He’s saying, “Trust me. Do what I’m asking you to do. Just the one simple next step. Let me handle the things you can’t control.”

And I’m really encouraged by Peter’s example in our text, because his obedience isn’t impressive. His obedience isn’t based on being a “super-believer.” His obedience to Jesus is reluctant, tired, and honest. And Jesus still works through it!

It’s a beautiful reminder that the outcome isn’t our responsibility. Obedience is.

Our job is to simply do what Jesus invites us to do.

You throw the net. Jesus is the one who fills it.

He’s asking you to trust him. He’s asking you to trust him enough to obey him.

That’s why we’re spending this whole year looking for ways to reach our One. Because Jesus would leave the 99 to find the lost One, and so will we. So who’s your One? Who’s the person that is close to you, but far from God?

Because once we realize that God loves them and is trying to reach them, we get to participate in that work by praying for them, looking for ways to show them love, and offering gentle invites to draw nearer to us and to God.

[Bracelet]

And as a tool to help us in this process, I want you to take a “FOR MY ONE” bracelet as you leave today. And if you don’t want to wear it everyday, then find a place to keep it where you will see it every day. Maybe your car mirror, maybe a central location in your house, maybe your keychain.

And I want to explain that this bracelet says “FOR MY ONE,” but it’s not a gift that you’re going to give to YOUR One! It’s a reminder for YOU, so that every day that you see it, you remember that God is inviting you to pray…for my one.

He’s reminding you to look for opportunities to show love…to my one.

He’s asking you to look around and ask, is this a welcoming place…for my one?

It’s an invitation to pray that God would soften your heart…toward my one.

Because we aren’t trying to fix them, or control them. We just want to show them care and love and point to Jesus.

And this year-long mission of Each One Reach One isn’t about a scoreboard. You don’t get points with Jesus every time you send a text or invite your One.

It’s not a quota, making sure you work hard enough at your “job”.

This is not to add pressure to our lives. This is a reminder to obey Jesus’ prompting, and to trust him with what you can’t control. It’s a reminder to stay available to Jesus. This bracelet is not asking you to do more…it’s asking you to stay open.

Every time you see this bracelet, it’s an echo of Peter’s words, “Because you say so, I will…”

[END]

So if you have someone in your life that is close to you, but far from God, please take a bracelet today to be a reminder for you to be available to how Jesus is asking you to pray for your One and connect with your One.

Because God didn’t love from a distance. He didn’t shout instructions from heaven and hope we figured out the way. He stepped into our mess and into our brokenness in the person of Jesus, so that he could clean us up, pick us up, and carry us home.

And now that he has already given us his grace, paid the penalty for our sin, and adopted us into his family, we GET TO obey him… not because we need to earn anything, but because we’re responding to what Jesus has already done for us and we want to invite more and more people into that grace and love.

And the people that we keep thinking of? The ones that we care about and want them to experience the love of God? God already loves them more than we do! He’s already been pursuing them and calling them. Jesus is already at work in their lives and he’s just inviting us to be a part of that work!

So let us trust and obey the one who says, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you,”

Isn’t that good news?