A YEAR OF YES

Happy New Year! I have missed being here with you at Beach Church preaching, but I have greatly enjoyed my time away with family. It has been good for my heart and my health to be away, and I look forward to sharing with you the details of what the Lord has been doing in my heart the past few weeks.

In 2002, a British author named Danny Wallace decided to do something ridiculous. For one full year, he said yes to everything. Not just the fun stuff. Everything. Junk mail. Street flyers. Invitations from strangers. He even said yes to attending a cult meeting just to see what would happen.

And it changed his life.

Danny admitted that the word no had slowly shrunk his world. No had become his default. No to new ideas. No to people. No to risk. No to change.

Initially, saying yes felt awkward. It felt inconvenient. It often felt unreasonable. Yet, it also opened his eyes to how much life he had been missing. That year led to a bestselling book and eventually a movie.

Now, long before Danny Wallace ever tried this, there was a fisherman named Peter standing in front of Jesus. Peter had fished all night and caught nothing. He was exhausted, ready for bed…and Jesus told him to go back out and try again. The request felt unreasonable. But Peter’s “yes” changed everything.

So as we step into a new year, what if 2026 becomes your Year of Yes? With that in mind, let’s read:

Luke 5:1-11 (NLT2)
One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2  He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3  Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. 4  When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5  “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6  And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7  A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. 8  When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” 9  For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10  His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11  And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

You probably know Simon more by the name Peter than by Simon, but this man is one and the same.  Before he became a follower of Jesus, before he preached sermons, cast out demons, spread the good news of Jesus, launched churches, and shepherded people, he was a fisherman. And, as Jesus has one of his first interactions with Peter, Jesus notices that Peter and his merry band of fishermen aren’t doing very well.  Jesus notices “two empty boats.”

If you fish for a living, an empty boat is bad news.  An empty boat means you spent energy and caught nothing.  It means you worked hard, but didn’t get paid. Jesus notices your empty boats, too.  He notices your empty accounts. And, what you see as an empty boat, Jesus sees as a resource.  He is able to take an empty boat and transform it into a platform to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus!

That is precisely what he did here.  Jesus stepped into the empty boat, shoved it out from the water's edge, and instantly the empty boat became a platform for Jesus to bring transformation, hope, and the goodness of God to man. And after Jesus finished speaking to the crowds, he turned to Peter and commanded him to do something that made no sense at all. The men had spent all night fishing and caught nothing.  They had cleaned their boats and were waiting for Jesus to finish preaching so they could go home and get some discouraged rest. What Jesus asked Peter to do seemed…unreasonable.

And, if you are a follower of Jesus, you know that sometimes…

Obedience can feel unreasonable,
not unbiblical

Obedience can feel unreasonable, not unbiblical.

I have conversations with people all the time who struggle to forgive others because of how bad they have been hurt.  For them, following God’s word seems unreasonable. They know God desires they forgive, but they dig their heels into the deep muck of resentment, and don’t.

Maybe, you know the Bible teaches you to love your enemies, and pray for those who hurt you…but that seems too unreasonable.  You would rather hate your enemy and hope they “get what’s coming to them.” Yet. Our obedience to Jesus proves we truly love God.  That means we obey even when obedience goes against our own desires for revenge, payback, and restitution. And God will bless us for it.

Peter obeyed even though it cut against the grain of what he really wanted to do…Peter didn’t want to get the boats dirty again. He didn’t want to have to wash the nets again. He was ready for bed! But, he went out to where the water was deeper, and hauled in such a full net of fish that the other boat had to come out to help!

What if this year, God calls you to do something unreasonable (not unbiblical) because he wants you to experience a great blessing? Maybe God wants you to begin to practice generosity this year. Maybe God wants you to begin to practice patience this year.

Husbands, God is calling you to sacrificially love your wife and serve her this year.  God is calling you to treat her like a daughter of the Most High God. God is calling you to speak to her gently, lovingly, and with understanding.

Children, God is calling you to obey your parents, even if you think they are unreasonable.  Whether you are six years old or twenty-one, if your parents are providing for you, if your parents are caring for you, if they make sure you have food, clothing, shelter, if they are paying your bills, you should respect them and be obedient to them.

Just like Jesus wanted to bless Simon-Peter and asked him to do something unreasonable, your parents care deeply for you and want what’s best for you. So, clean your room and God will bless you.

When Simon hauled in that mess of fish, one of his first reactions was to recognize how HIS character contrasted with the character of Jesus. And the first thing he is recorded as saying is, “Lord, please leave me. I am too much of a sinner to be around you.” That response is one I have heard a hundred different ways from people.

People say things like, “If I were to walk into a church, the church would catch on fire.” Or “If you knew what I have done in life, you wouldn’t be talking to me about God.” I think it is fascinating that the more God moves and works, the more people recognize how opposite we are from God.

Sin separates but never cancels purpose

If you came to church today, and you are under the impression that God only wants to connect with “churchy” people, you are wrong. Way wrong! Peter seemed to have the same attitude toward Jesus.  Peter said to Jesus, “I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.”

We read in scripture that “as was his custom” Jesus went to the synagogues for worship…yet he didn’t seem to hang out with the people he went to church with.  He was always with the people OUTSIDE the temple.  He connected with the people that DIDN’T necessarily fit in with the churchy people. In fact, the “churchy people” called the people that Jesus connected with and hung out with, “SCUM.”

Later on in Luke 5:30 the RELIGIOUS leaders complained about the people that Jesus and his disciples hung out with…they said,

Luke 5:30b (NLT2)
…Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”

So, during worship, during the sermon, when you are experiencing the power of God moving, and you suddenly feel like scum…and you don’t feel like you fit in…If you feel like you are too much of a sinner to be here…I have good news! You are right where you belong! The building has not caught on fire. You have not been zapped with lightning.

Jesus came to “take away” your sin. (1 John 3:5) He doesn’t want your sin to separate you any longer. He desires to forgive you and wants a relationship with you.

He takes away your sin when you stop trying to be good enough on your own to connect with him, and surrender your life to God by trusting Jesus as the one who takes away your sin and makes you a new person. You don’t have to impress Jesus. You just have to surrender to him.

So, just take a moment and tell God you SURRENDER to him and trust Jesus as the one who took away your sin. Take that moment right now – even while I am talking.  Let the Love of God fill your heart and flood your mind and surrender to Him.

…Now I want you to understand that until this moment, sin has separated you from God, and now that you have surrendered to him…God has given you a purpose that sin can not cancel.

Jesus told Peter that from now on he would be fishing for people. That purpose must shine in all we do. Fish for people. Invite your neighbor to church. Invite your spouse to church. Invite your children to church. Invite your coworkers to church. Invite your barista, your lawn care worker, and the person who cuts your hair to church.

Peter didn’t only follow Jesus for a day, he gave up everything and followed him…

A new year of yes exchanges old for new

Jesus invited Peter to follow him – and he and his brothers left everything to follow Jesus. Verse 11 says, “As soon as they landed they left everything and followed Jesus.”

These were fishermen.  They surrendered more than sin…and they surrendered their occupations that were not bad!  It is not as though they were strip club owners or pornographers.  They weren’t cheating people out of their money. They were fishermen. They walked away from their boats. Their nets. Their source of income. Because they wanted to follow Jesus.

Now, I am not suggesting that you walk away from your jobs.  And I am not suggesting that surrendering your life to Jesus requires you to change your occupation…But it might.

If you earn a living cheating people out of money – God is calling you out of that occupation. If you earn a living harming other people…God is calling you to surrender that and walk away from that lifestyle.

So what does your yes look like in 2026? Not yes to everything. Not junk mail. Not telemarketers.

Yes to what Jesus is already placing in front of you. What if you said yes to serving, even when it costs time and comfort? What if you said yes to discipleship, letting someone walk with you, and choosing to walk with someone else? What if you said yes to generosity, giving first, and trusting God to meet your needs?

We all want change. But change cannot happen without surrender. It cannot happen without a “yes.” That is the invitation in front of us as a new year begins.

Not a reckless yes.

Not a yes driven by feelings.

A faithful yes.

A yes rooted in God’s Word.

A yes that trusts Jesus more than comfort.

A yes, even when it feels unreasonable.

May 2026 be remembered as the year you stopped negotiating and started obeying.

A Year of Yes.