How many of you like to fish? It's a great sport isn't it? It's a great way to relax and if you like to eat fish like I do, it's a great way to get really fresh fish. But sometimes fishing has some different kinds of results. I'll never forget the time a friend and I went fishing. He was the former pastor of the church I was serving. We were in seminary and car pooled to classes when possible.

He didn't have a whole lot of opportunity to go fishing where he was serving, so I invited him out to go fishing in one of the stock tanks owned by one of the member. He had never fished it before.

We crawled into the boat and got out to the deep water and both started casting. I was the good host let he choose where he wanted to cast first. He chose to cast off the bow of the boat. Which left me casting off the stern. Which is where I wanted to be any way. You see, I knew something about the lake he didn't know. I watched him cast and cast and cast and not even get a nibble.

Then I made about two cast to find my distance and on the third one pulled in about a two and half pound black bass. Gary was complimentary and kept casting and casting and casting and never catching a thing. I leisurely cast close to the same spot again, and boom pulled in another two pound black bass. I was having fun.

I offered to swap spots and we did. He cast in the exact same spot I had been casting in, he cast and cast and he cast but still didn't catch anything. He got frustrated and wanted to trade spots again. We did and he caught one just over a pound. But then I cast again, into the same spot I'd been fishing before and on the second cast pulled about another two pounder. Then three casts later I pulled a three pounder.

Gary and I swapped end again, and he cast and he cast and he cast and nothing. We swapped again and on the first cast I pulled in a three and half pounder. That was when I told my friend the secret of that stock tank.

You see, the owner had told me how the tank had been built. It seems when they were damming it up, he decided he wanted a bigger dam so they dug the dirt out of a long deep trench about 20 feet from the dam. That trench was about eight or ten feet deep and on a hot summer day, the big bass would sit on the bottom where it was cooler. And through trial and error, I found out that if you cast across the trench, pulled your lure across and then let it drop, so it hit the bottom, let it sit for a couple of seconds, then reel it in, you'd get a bite almost every time.

I caught fish because I knew the secret of the tank but I also put out to the deep water.

Jesus did the same thing one day. It's described in Luke 5:1-11.
[1] Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God,
[2] he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and 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 way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
[4] When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."
[5] Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets."
[6] When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning 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 that they began to sink.
[8] But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"
[9] For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken;
[10] and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."
[11] When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Rev Tim Coombs points out that the reason Peter fell at Jesus' knees and not a Jesus' feet wasn't just out of humility but because there were that many fish in the boat. They were literally knee deep in the miraculous catch of fish. Peter was knee deep in God's blessing. And all because he had listened to Jesus and "Put out into the deep water."

I think life is like that. It's sort of like a swimming pool. There's a shallow end and a deep end. It's like a like, close to shore, is shallow water. It's safe, it's what everybody else does. There's no real challenge and you can depend upon yourself.

But once you strike off to the deep end. Once you "Put out into the deep water," everything changes. You have to live by faith. You have to trust someone else, just like Peter did. You have to help, you have to do your part, but you can no longer walk ankle deep, knee deep or even chest deep. You have to rely on the integrity of the boat, the strength of the rest of the crew and the knowledge and wisdom of captain.

Jesus wants us to step into boat with Him and like Peter "Put out into the deep water." The deep water of our faith.

So, what does that mean? Well today I want to explore that through comparing the message of some of the Super Bowl Commercials with the message of Scripture.

Maybe you saw Thursday's comics. Real Life Adventures by Lance Aldrich and Gary Wise. It show a couple sitting mesmerized by the television. I imagine it's in zombie like tones, the husband says: "Wow, the furniture barn has slashed prices. We must act now." And the wife replies: "Yes, while selection is good." The husband says: "We need to stop watching so much TV." And the wife says: "Yes, later. Now we must hurry in to take advantage of these fantastic deals."

For the most part, that is how advertising wants us to react. And I think that's why we need to look at their message and compare it to the message of Christ and what's in Scripture.

I. Lays Potato Chips

Let's look at the Lays Ad: I think that's a hilarious commercial because it's so absurd. But I think it shows us what life is like without Christ. We are like spoiled children obsessed only with our own needs. Determined to get what we want no matter what the cost or who we have to knock down to get it. That's life in the shallow water.

Jesus says, "Put out into the deep water." In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus tells us that the greatest Commandment of all is: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'

And then He says: "The second greatest commandment is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Life in the deep water is loving others not using them or abusing them.

II. Staples

There was a similar message in the Staples Supply Manager Commercial. You see, The Supply Manger is like the world. You and I both know that the world only wants what it can get from us. We're only worth what the world can use us for. That's why I like this commercial. It reminds us that there is an alternative to the world's standards. You don't have to live in the shallow water.

And when we "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus we find out we have worth because we are the children of God. Our worth is not dependent upon anything but what Christ Jesus has done for us.

Galatians 3:26 Paul writes: "In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith."

And in Romans 10:12 Paul reminds us: "For there is no distinction . . the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him."

That's the promise for those who are willing to "Put out into the deep water."

III. Pepsi, Purple Haze

But the choice which water to live in is ours. We all know that life is about choices. That's what this Pepsi commercial reminds us about.

Jimi Hendrix might still be with us if he hadn't made some wrong choices. But then we all make wrong choices from time to time. We've all made some good and some of the bad and had some pretty close calls. But the Good News is that even bad choices can be redeemed.

Remember the woman caught in adultery? When confronted with their own guilt, every accuser left. Jesus simply told the woman: "Go and sin no more." He offered her a second chance at making right choices for God.

IV. Dodge, Money On Back

That's sort of what the one Dodge commercial was about.

You see, we all carry a load of guilt around with us like that monkey on that guys back. That guilt weighs down our hearts and spirits. It affects everything we do.

But when we accept Christ and surrender our lives to him. When we "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus, that load of guilt is lifted not by a car. But by our Savior, the Son of God.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

You probably won't get the car that seems to be promised in the commercial, but when you "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus, that load of guilt will be lifted and you will be given a second chance.

V. Pepsi, Grizzlies

The Pepsi commercial with the thirsty grizzlies tells just how God works in our lives when we do "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus as our Savior.

The grizzlies disguised themselves as humans to get the Pepsi. There are some folks who disguise themselves as Christians but they're really still living in the Shallow Waters.

When we "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus, we become new creations, new creatures. We are changed from the inside out. Outwardly we may look the same but inwardly are changed. We have a new heart and a new spirit.

In Ephesians 4:24, Paul reminds us: "to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

We don't just look like new people, we are new people, from the inside out, because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our sake.

VI. Clydesdale and Donkey

And the Good News of all of this can be seen in one of the commercials coming from Budweiser of all people. Maybe you remember it. The one about the Donkey who wanted to be a Clydesdale?

The Good News is that God, through Christ, can and does take the least likely of people and uses them for the Glory of God's Kingdom.

God took a convicted murderer and made Moses the leader of the Israelites. God took a trickster and liar, Jacob, and made him the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus took a tax collector and a bunch of smelly fisherman and made them the leaders of the earliest Church.

You may have no more talent than that little donkey. You might be a Moses, a Jacob, a Matthew or a fisherman but God can use you. God can take who and what you are and use it for God's glory.

In Matthew 19:26 Jesus says: "For God all things are possible." When we "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus, all things are possible. We can become whatever God wants us to be.

Who would have thought that an unwanted, troubled child, who grew up in construction, car hopped, worked in a factory, on a farm and as a marine diesel mechanic, who has a weird sense of humor and a loud laugh could ever become a preacher. Not me. But that's what God wanted. When we "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus, all things are possible.

Conclusion

And finally, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul writes: "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"

That's what I thought of when I saw the NFL Players and Coaches Singing Tomorrow.

And it's true. When we get out of the shallow water of the world, and when we "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus, then everyday is a new day. Our God is a God of second chances and a God of hope. Our God is a God of endless Tomorrows through the promise of Eternal Life.

But more importantly, that means that if we mess up, if we blow it big time, if we've been on a losing streak that would make the worst NFL team in the world look like Super Bowl Champions, there's hope for us. Because with Jesus, when we "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus, we begin a brand new season, a brand new day.

The world may only want to use us and get all it can out of us by draining our wallets and our spirits, but Christ Jesus the Son of God wants to give us life and lift the load. The Son of God wants to fill us with the Spirit and empower us to make a difference in the world.

All we have to do is follow the lead of Peter, James and John. All we have to do "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus and cast our nets for Him. And believe me, it will be a miraculous catch.

"Put out into the deep water" today. Trust Jesus the same way Peter did.