<TITLE>05. Par 15-18</TITLE>L-15 Now, let's change the camera just a moment in our mind. Look setting up there on a stump, or an old chunk along the side of the seashore; I see Peter setting up there, and James, John, the sons of Zebedee, setting up there, had fished all night long, discouraged. Any of you fishermen know what it is to fish all night and don't catch nothing. That's really discouraging.
So they'd washed out their nets and hanged them up to dry, and there they was, setting on a stump. And some of them said, "Well, here comes that guy, that preacher; let's see what He's going to say."
I can see the old apostle get the chunk and set down. After while he begin to listen, said, "There's something a little different about that fellow." Moves his chunk just a little bit closer. After while he's standing right up against Him. There's something about Him that drawed men to Him. He's still got the same power. "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me."

L-16 No matter how simple the Gospel is, if Christ is in it, it'll draw people. He's the greatest magnet, as we talked of this afternoon, the world has ever known: "Draw all men unto Me."
Then when the crowds got great, I see Him look around--I believe He knew that ship was there. So He stepped into the boat; He said, "Peter, thrust out just a little bit; I want to preach awhile." And while He's stood there and begin to preach to the people, well, then after He got through, He'd borrowed Simon's boat, and He never borrows nothing less He pays for it. And He said, "Now, Simon, I want you to thrust out into the deep, launch out."
Oh, if I--like to speak on that for awhile, "Launch out." That's what's the trouble with people's faith tonight: you're afraid to turn it loose. There's many of you's got faith, but you're afraid to let it loose. Your faith without works is dead, just as the body without the spirit is dead. See? If you got faith, show me you faith by your works.

L-17 Now, see, now Paul was justifying Abraham by faith. James justified him by works. Paul said Abraham was justified, Romans 4, by faith. And so James comes over and says that he was justified by works. Now, both of them, one confirmed the other. Now, Paul was speaking what God saw: his faith. James is speaking what man saw: his works. And if you say, "I got faith in God," and afraid to put your faith to work, then it won't do you no good. You've got to launch out.
That's what's the matter with the peoples today of this world, many of them has faith, but they're afraid to launch out with it. You're just afraid to venture a little bit. Just to say, "Well, I can. I can do all things with Christ Who strengthens me." Amen.
Look at Him, said, "Launch out into the deep, and let down for the draught."

L-18 In other words, I can hear Peter say, "Well, Lord, why, we're fishermen. Why, we--we was born and raised on this sea here. Why, we know when the moon's right, and when all the signs are right. There's not even a fish in that water. Well, we toiled all night long. And we know when the signs are right, and we never even took one fish. We took nothing. And then You come around and tell me to go back in the same waters where I've been seining? And let down and get a whole boat full of them? Why, it couldn't be." If he'd have said that, then he wouldn't have got them.
But he said, "Lord, I've toiled all night, and have taken nothing: but nevertheless, at Thy Word I'm going to let down the net." There you are. There's the secret: Taking God at His Word.
If there was no fish there, God's able to put fish there. He did do it. That same net that went through that water all night long and caught nothing, but look when God said, "Put it down there."


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