Edition 4 of the First Principals

Tuesday, October 25th

Edition 4 of the First Principals

Luke 5:1-11
1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2 he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

5Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

The response God is looking for is “because you say so.” Sometimes things don’t make sense. Sometimes things seem confusing, they seem strange from the world we live in. But God uses the strange to humble the proud. God uses the poor to shame the rich. I need to do things for God because he says so. He fed 5,000 men, plus the women and children. And he is still feeding them today. He is feeding me with not only the food in my pantry, but with the scripture. And with the last verse, I need to not let anything come before my God. Now that I have a child, I understand God’s love for me. I would give anything for my wife and son. God had a son, and would give anything to him, yet he gave him to me. What does that say about his love for me? It knows no bounds. Therefore, since he gave all to me, why should I not leave everything for him?

Luke 14:25-33
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Everything (pronoun):

1. All things or all of a group of things.


2. All relevant matters.

Hate (verb):

1. To feel hostility or animosity toward.


2. To detest.


3. To feel dislike or distaste for.

Why would he say hate? I believe that it is because our love for God has to be so abundant, so grandiose, that when it is compared to that of ourselves, our family, that is nothing. It’s like a bank account. I have a $100 dollars to give on Christmas to those I love: God, parents, wife, son and friends. What gift do I get? How much do I spend on God on Christmas? What about the rest of the list? This is hypothetical, but it makes a point in my heart. What percentage do I give God in comparison to the rest of the group?

Luke 9:57-62
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good bye to my family."

62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Excuse (verb):

1. To explain (a fault or an offense) in the hope of being forgiven or understood.


2. To apologize for (oneself) for an act that could cause offense.


3. To grant pardon to; forgive.


4. To make allowance for; overlook.


5. To serve as justification for.

What excuse do I have for being late to church? What excuse do I have for passing someone on the highway who is broken down? What things are getting in my way from my worship of my lord? What kind of justification am I making for not doing the things that need to be done? It is much like what Yoda said. There is no try. Do or do not. I cannot start something and leave it unfinished. I cannot start plowing and look back at how good things used to be. It didn’t work for the Israelites in the desert, and it won’t work in Euless today. How committed am I to my God?

Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Authority (noun):

1. The power to enforce laws, exact obedience, command, determine, or judge.


2. One that is invested with this power.


3. An accepted source of expert information or advice.


4. Justification; grounds.


5. A conclusive statement or decision that may be taken as a guide or precedent.


6. Power to influence or persuade resulting from knowledge or experience.


7. Confidence derived from experience or practice; firm self-assurance.

Obey (verb):

1. To carry out or fulfill the command, order, or instruction of.


2. To carry out or comply with (a command, for example).

I think of a child when I see this scripture. If a child loves his parents, then that child obeys them. The parent has authority over the child and only directs them because they love the child. I call God “Father.” God asks for me to obey him, because he has authority and wisdom beyond my comprehension. Knowing that, it makes sense to obey him. God has granted the authority to Jesus. On those grounds, and the experience that Jesus has, it makes only sense to obey him. He is God in the flesh. 1st John 5 says that to love God is to obey his commands. And with his authority comes the purpose (the quality of being determined to do or achieve something) to go forth and multiply, to bear fruit. Am I a man of purpose? Am I obeying the command to go and bear fruit? Am I teaching others? Am I making disciples?