A Mysterious Influence

2 Peter 1:3: According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

About 150 years ago Spurgeon called the influence of Jesus as a mysterious influence. What a beautiful description of the work of God. There are myriads of things Jesus does that are mysterious. How does He lead believers together to love one another, to teach and bless one another? How does He lead one whose heart He is opening to a believer who wants to share the gospel with him? How can His word give us faith? How can He give people joy they never had before, in the midst of the difficulties of life? How can He cause us to love people that we used to hate? How does He guide us safely through the mine-field of this life? How can He separate us from our sin as far as the east is from the west? How can He change our hearts, our thoughts, our words and our deeds? How will we be able to meet Him in the clouds? How can we be with Him forever? How can we look into our past and know it was God working there? How can He use us to accomplish His will?

Matthew 13:10: And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

1 Corinthians 4:1: Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

1 Corinthians 13:2: And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

How can the love of God give us value and substance that we did not have without it?

Charles Haddon Spurgeon on Luke 5:4b: . . . Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

We learn from this narrative, the necessity of human agency. The draught of fishes was miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his boat, nor his fishing tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the fishes. So in the saving of souls, God worketh by means; and while the present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. When God worketh without instruments, doubtless He is glorified; but He hath Himself selected the plan of instrumentality as being that by which He is most magnified in the earth. Means of themselves are utterly unavailing. *Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing.* What was the reason of this? Were they not fishermen plying their special calling? Verily, they were no raw hands; they understood the work. Had they gone about the toil unskillfully? No. Had they lacked industry? No, they had toiled. Had they lacked perseverance? No, they had toiled all the night. Was there a deficiency of fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as soon as the Master came, they swam to the net in shoals. What, then, is the reason? Is it because there is no power in the means of themselves apart from the presence of Jesus? *Without Him we can do nothing.* But with Christ we can do all things. Christ*s presence confers success. Jesus sat in Peter*s boat, and His will, by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net. When Jesus is lifted up in His Church, His presence is the Church*s power-the shout of a king is in the midst of her. *I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.* Let us go out this morning on our work of soul fishing, looking up in faith, and around us in solemn anxiety. Let us toil till night comes, and we shall not labour in vain, for He who bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes.

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