Children’s Sermon on Luke 5:1-11 – The Miraculous Catch of Fish

Use this children’s sermon about being fishers of men to teach kids the three things Jesus wants us to do.

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

 

Needed: Nothing

 

Children’s Sermon: Ask, What are Christians supposed to do?

 

Affirm all reasonable answers, then say, Our Scripture passage today tells us three things Christians are supposed to do.

 

(Read Luke 5:1-11, quoted here in the NIV, asking the inserted the questions as you read.)

 

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.

 

What were people doing? (Crowding around Jesus and listening to the word of God.) That’s the first thing Christians are supposed to do. We’re supposed to gather around Jesus and listen to Him to teach us.

 

How does Jesus teach us today? (Through the Bible, through listening to Him when we pray, through pastors and teachers.)

 

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.”

 

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

 

Why did Simon let down the nets? (Because Jesus said to do it.) The second thing we’re supposed to do as Christians is obey Jesus. We listen to Jesus teach us, then obey what He tells us to do.

 

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 fish for people.”

 

What did Jesus mean when He said Simon was going to fish for people? It means that instead of bringing fish into his boat, Simon was going to bring people to Jesus. That’s the third thing we’re supposed to do as Christians. After we learn from Jesus and obey what He tells us, we’re supposed to go tell other people about Him so that they can believe in Him too.

 

¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

 

Closing Prayer: Jesus, help us to take the time to listen to You teaching us. Help us to obey what You tell us to do. Help us to tell other people about You so that they can believe in You too. Amen.