How to Walk on Water
Theme: God is calling us out of our comfort zones.
Text: Matthew 14:22-36
Here’s a thought: John Wimber would say that faith is spelled “r-i-s-k.”
The first two Scottish missionaries sent to the New Hebrides Islands were killed and eaten by cannibals on the day they arrived. After that, it wasn’t easy to find missionary volunteers. But even when John G. Paton (1824-1907) agreed to go, well-meaning people in the church tried to dissuade him. One elderly man warned that cannibals would eat him. Paton replied, “I confess to you that if I can but live and die serving and honouring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.” After fifteen years of fruitful ministry, almost everyone became followers of Jesus on the island of Aniwa, where Paton served.
How do ordinary people overcome fear and danger to accomplish what they are called to do? Many people in the Bible show us how to do it, but let’s now focus on Peter.
Jesus had just fed the five thousand. We join Him in Matthew 14:22-36:
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the
boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed. NIV
We could call this message “How to live by faith.”
Peter shows us how to walk on water:
Obey God’s Word (Matthew 14:28)
What do dogs do after they finish obedience school? They get their masters.
Two thousand years ago, the Jewish people divided the night into four watches, each consisting of three hours. The first started at 6:00 p.m. and continued until 9:00 p.m.; the second from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight; the third from 12:00 midnight to 3:00 a.m.; and the fourth from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. The first was called evening; the second midnight; the third cock-crowing; the fourth morning (Mark 13:35). The term “watch” was probably given to each of these divisions from the practice of placing sentinels around the camp in time of war, or in cities, to watch or guard the camp or city; and that they were at first relieved three times in the night, but under the Romans four times. It was in the last of these watches, or between three and six in the morning that Jesus appeared to the disciples after spending most of the night alone on the mountain in prayer (from http://bible.cc/matthew/14-25.htm).
It was a dark, windy night that started to toss these rugged men and their little boat around, perhaps four or five miles from the shore. What would you think if you were in a boat in the middle of a lake at 3:00 a.m. and saw someone walking toward you on the water? Like the disciples, I would rub my eyes and shout, “It’s a ghost!” Having forgotten their high-powered LED flashlights at home, they could not rely on their eyesight to identify this figure walking on water; they had to rely upon recognizing the voice to identify Him as their Lord. His calm words of reassurance made all the difference in this highly stressful situation.
Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 7:24-27:
24 Therefore everyone who hears these words [logos] of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. NIV
Two basic Greek terms are translated as “word” in the New Testament. “Logos” refers to sayings or the general written word. Jesus uses the term “logos” in Matthew 7:24-27.
The Apostle Paul uses the term “rhema” in Romans 10:17:
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word [rhema] of Christ. NIV
The term “rhema” typically means “spoken word” or “quickened word.” It is a dynamic combination when we immerse ourselves in the logos and when we hear His rhema.
The Lord remarkably used Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947) of Bradford, England, to heal people. He was initially a plumber, then gave up this trade after he became too busy preaching. Large crowds gathered twice daily to hear Evangelist Smith Wigglesworth. “For fifty years,” he said, “I have read no other book but the Bible, which my wife taught me to read,” and the originality and freshness of the God-given messages convinced his hearers that the price he paid to so shut himself up with the Word of God, was worthwhile. He credited God and His Word, and his grasp of the Scriptures sparked a hunger in other ministers to know that Word in equal power (from http://www.smithwigglesworth.com/life/usafall1922.htm).
I am not saying that you need to throw out all your books and devices, but I must ask, “Do you take time each day to read, study, and meditate upon the Bible? Do you still yourself regularly to hear God’s voice?”
Peter shows us how to walk on water:
Obey God’s Word (Matthew 14:28)
Step Out of the Boat (Matthew 14:29)
Abram did not study geography in school. He did not get a GPS for Christmas. He could not go to Google Maps. Nevertheless, check out Genesis 12:1-5:
1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. NIV
Abram, later renamed Abraham by the Lord, did not know any place other than his homeland of Haran. He had some history and relationship with God and trusted Him enough to follow Him to an unfamiliar land. The Lord did not give Abram any details of where he was to go; He promised He would lead him to a land that He would show him.
Some people have lived in the same place and have vowed never to leave. They would not dream of leaving family and friends. Such a declaration limits the work of God in their lives. Maybe the Lord wants you to move somewhere you have neither visited nor know anything about. Maybe the Lord wants you to stay right where you are. The important thing is that you are willing to go wherever and whenever the Lord wants.
Are your time, energy and money available to the Lord 24/7? Are you willing to go wherever and whenever He leads you?
Peter shows us how to walk on water:
Obey God’s Word (Matthew 14:28)
Step Out of the Boat (Matthew 14:29)
Keep Our Eyes on Jesus (Matthew 14:30a)
The Sea of Galilee is prone to sudden turbulence because it lies low in the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by hills. Storms like this one that Jesus calmed (Mark 4:35-41) are a well-known hazard for Galilean fishermen. With little warning, mighty squalls can sweep down the wadis (valleys) around the lake, whipping its tranquil surface into treacherous waves (from http://www.seetheholyland.net/sea-of-galilee-article-israeloutside-jerusalem/).
After Peter climbed out of the boat and started to walk on the water toward
Jesus, he took his eyes off of Jesus, became frightened by the wind and the waves, and began to sink. At this point, Jesus rebuked and questioned Peter with, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Ouch! Peter was the only disciple to step out of the boat. Why did Jesus not rebuke the others for staying in the boat? Jesus is the hardest on those willing to step out of the boat. He sees what faith, obedience, zeal and availability we have and calls us to stretch more. He will leave most people to sit in their comfortable boats while He calls those who have stepped out to step out even further.
Do we remember Peter for walking on water or sinking when He saw the wind and the waves? It depends upon our perspective. In a world filled with armchair quarterbacks who find it all too easy to criticize, we can cluck our tongues at Peter for sinking while we miss the remarkable fact that he walked on water!
Hebrews 12:2 guides us when the wind and the waves are all around us:
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NIV
Biblical faith is not something to be cranked up or manufactured. Faith is the result of keeping our eyes focused on Jesus. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, fear rushed in and crowded out the faith. Did you notice in our text that the wind did not die down until Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat? Jesus could have calmed the wind before this time, but He wanted Peter to walk on water and the disciples in the boat to endure the wind and the waves before He climbed into the boat with them. Here is another reminder that God is more interested in our character than our comfort. Our faith grows through the testing of wind and waves.
Is the wind howling around you today? What waves are tossing you around? Will you develop the daily habit of keeping your eyes on Jesus through prayer, worship, meditating upon God’s Word and being with God’s people?
Peter shows us how to walk on water:
Obey God’s Word (Matthew 14:28)
Step Out of the Boat (Matthew 14:29)
Keep Your Eyes on Jesus (Matthew 14:30a)
Ask for Help When We Are Sinking (Matthew 14:30b)
Give Peter credit: when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Peter’s first instinct was not just to panic but to ask for help from the Lord. How many of us would have done even this? How many of us would have tried to swim and help ourselves rather than call out to the Lord to save us?
A man was standing atop his house, with a flood rising around him. He prayed for the Lord to help and to save him from death. While he was standing there with the rising waters getting closer to him, a man with a boat came along and offered his help to bring him to safety. The man replied, “No, that’s okay. I’m waiting for God to save me.” So the man in the boat, confused, rowed away. The waters rose ever higher, and the man was now surrounded by water up to his chest, then came a rescue helicopter which dropped a lifeline to save him. The man again refused, yelling as loudly as he could for them to hear that he was waiting for God to save him. They left because of the increasing danger and the man’s refusal to be helped. Minutes later, the man was standing before God. The man asked God, “Why didn’t you save me?” God replied, “What do you mean? I sent you a boat and a helicopter.”
Sometimes the Lord intervenes directly, and sometimes He sends others to help us. Refusal to ask for help will severely limit how far we go in our adventure with Him. If we are too proud, shy or stubborn to rely upon Him and ask for help from others, we will remain small people with a small vision and a small god.
John Wimber (1934-1997) would say that faith is spelled “r-i-s-k.”
Compare Proverbs 24:16:
for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity. NIV
I am not saying we should be foolish or presumptuous, but let’s give up our predictable, perfectionistic tendencies and take some faith risks. I have found the Lord faithful when I step out of the boat. Sometimes I have walked on water; other times, I have started to sink. Through it all, He has helped, strengthened, and stretched me.
In what ways have you grown comfortable? What next step must you take in your walk with God? Will you commit to taking this next step today?
Peter shows us how to walk on water:
Obey God’s Word
Step Out of the Boat
Keep Our Eyes on Jesus
Ask for Help When We Are Sinking
God is calling us out of our comfort zones.
