(Slide 1) I have shared elsewhere about my later in life triumph over my fear of water that has enabled me to swim. For others, it is an-going fear that has yet to be resolved.
Some people are sacred to death of flying. To think of getting on airplane and taking off at 150 MPH, climb to an altitude of 30,000 feet and go 400 or so MPH, is a bit much.
Reminds me of the story told years ago about a flight of a four-engine jet plane. It was a lengthy flight and it got lengthier when the co-pilot came on the intercom and said, ‘Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, we have lost power on our number two engine. So we will be an hour or so late. Sorry for the delay.’
A hour later the pilot came on the intercom, ‘Well, folks, we have lost power in our number four engine. But nothing to worry about, we still have two engines that work. Sorry for the delay again but it we will be at least two hours late to our destination.’
A short time later, the now nervous co-pilot announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, I hate to inform you but we have lost number one engine. Now our plane is built to fly on just one engine. However, we are projecting a three-hour delay to our destination. We are very sorry for the inconvenience.”
With a nervous cabin now coming to life, one passenger exclaimed, “If we lose that last engine, we are going to be up here all day.”
(I did not help anyone whom has a fear of flying, just now, did I?)
Fear is a very real thing. Max Lucado writes, ‘Fear it seems, has taken a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop.’ (Source: Max Lucado, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear.) We have financial fears, we have occupational fears, we have relational fears, we have personal fears, and we have safety fears – personal and national.
Today we begin a six part series called, “Get Your Feet Wet.” Our text for the series is Matthew 14:22-33. It is, as I said last week, the story of Peter walking on the water and it has come to represent in many peoples thinking the tension and the decision between fear and faith.
For this morning though, I want us to concentrate on verses 28 and 29:
(Slide 2) Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water.” “All right, come,” Jesus said. (NLT)
Now recalling the four Bible study questions that I shared a few weeks ago, I ask, ‘What does this passage say?” It says that Peter asks for Christ to tell Peter to come to Him by walking on the water as proof of Jesus’ identity.
In the preceding verses, the disciples are scared to death at the sight of Jesus on the water thinking it was a ghost. But Jesus assures them that it is Him not a ghost and to not be afraid. Well, Peter then makes this statement, which appears in our main text, and it is a statement, a declarative statement. It is a request of, almost a command to Jesus to call him “to come to you by walking on water.” It is not a question, it is not, it appears to be, a request but a command to Jesus: “tell me” not ask me nor should I, but “tell me Jesus to come to you by walking on water.”
What does this passage, therefore, mean?
In the context of a very scary and fear filled situation, it seems to mean that Peter is asking Jesus to tell him to do something that required an extreme act of faith. Last week, I mentioned that only Peter asked to come to Jesus, not the other eleven. Why?
A couple of things coming to mind. First, our series main passage begins with the phrase, “Immediately after this…” (verse 22). Immediately after what? What does ‘this’ refer to?
It refers to the previous segment of chapter 14, verses 13 through 21, which tells us what? The feeding of the five thousand. A miracle story.
“Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
“That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”
“Impossible!” “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish!”
“Bring them here,”
And a miracle took place.
Then, “Immediately after this, Jesus made his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he sent the people home.” He then goes off to pray.
It seems to me, as we read further, that Jesus has another miracle planned. Or, another faith development experience.
I just wonder if the conversation in the boat was about what they had just seen and witnessed. Maybe they were ‘feelin’ good about being one the boyz!’
Then Jesus comes along, several hours later, and does this “walk’n on the water thing.” Scares them out of their wits.
But only Peter says to Jesus, ‘Tell me to come to you!’
Why?
This brings me to my second thought and it is one that I cannot substantiate with scripture. It is only a hunch.
Eleven of the twelve looked at the situation with faces of fear. Peter looked at the situation with a face of faith.
As I started writing this sermon and really thinking about what was going on here, I began to think about the faces of the twelve. And I think that we have always assumed they all had fear written over all them by the time Jesus showed. (And they did, for a time!)
Let me put it this way: In an intense movie scene, when people are facing a scary or fearful situation, doesn’t it seem to be the case that there is always one whose face changes from fear to wide-eyed possibility… to faith? We can see the transformation right before our eyes, can’t we?
Think of ‘ET.’ Think of the initial fear of Eliot giving way to wide-eyed wonder and amazement and hope. It drove him to believe in ET and believe things that others would not believe.
I think this is what happens in the boat with Peter. The face of fear gives way to the face of faith and hope. Confidence, in Jesus, takes root and grows! And it bursts out in him with an extravagant demand, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water.”
And I think that Jesus smiled. Yes, this is what I am hoping for! A proclamation of faith! An act of radical belief!
How then, continuing with our third question of good Bible study, ‘does this fit in with the Bible as a whole?’
God was, and is, always calling people to Him. He called the Israelites to follow Him… again and again and again and again.
Jesus called the twelve to ‘follow me.’
God called the Israelites to repentance and obedience
Jesus did the same thing.
God call us to do the same thing. God calls us to join Him in building His kingdom.
This brings us to question four of good Bible study: How do I use it in my life? (Source of the four questions: David Durey, Steps Toward Spiritual Maturity, Foundation of Hope, Portland, Oregon © 1996)
As each of us answers this question, I would have us think about this statement from the pen of John Ortberg.
(Slide 3) There is always a call. God asks an ordinary person to engage in an act of extraordinary trust, that of getting out of the boat. (Source: John Ortberg, If You Want to Walk On Water, You Have Got to Get out of the Boat. Zondervan)
(Slide 3a) A couple of words to guide our thinking for a few moments: Trust and decision.
Do you trust God at this point in your life? Do you? Do you really? Do you really, really trust God? Do you really, really, really, really trust God? Do you really, really, really, real… well you get the point.
Peter began at some microsecond in this story to trust Jesus enough to say, ‘tell me to come to you!’ That is trust and that is faith!
But not everybody always sees it that way…
‘Peter, what are you doing? Look at that idiot! Hey, get him back in this boat! There he goes again! I am not leaving this boat, even if I drown, I am not leaving this boat. What a stupid fool he is! There he goes again!’
That is the sound of fear, isn’t?
Peter trusted Jesus and believed in Jesus and said, ‘tell me Jesus!’ And Jesus said, ‘come!’
Peter now had a decision to make. Trust and act and get out of the boat or stay in the boat.
Boats wiggle in water don’t they? Water is wiggly, except when it is ice or a steam.
How did Peter get out of the boat? The text said ‘he went over the side of the boat.’ I have a great deal of trouble seeing him gracefully exit the boat in that storm. Maybe he fell over the side and stood up and rose to the top of the water.
Maybe he stood on the bobbing prowl of the boat and timed his first step off the side. Maybe he walked to the stern of the boat and trusted that the water would hold him up as he timed his step of the side. We know that he did get out of the boat. (And given our view of Peter over the years, he could have just jumped over the side and took off.)
Now what was the greatest threat to Peter once out of the boat? It was failure. He risked failure.
But he made the decision to go over the side and go to Jesus. He started to walk on the water! But then…
… he failed.
“So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.”
You and I have had, and continue to have moments in which we have to decide whether or not to truly trust God and get out of the boat thus risking failure, or not. Moses failed. King David failed. Peter would fail again.
Failure is a part of life. The late Jack Lemmon said, ‘Failure seldom stops you; what stops you is the fear of failure.’ (Source: Quotationary, Leonard Roy Frank, ed.)
There is that word – fear- that brings us back to our starting point and the question (Slide 4) So What?
(Slide 5) There is always fear. God has an inextinguishable habit of asking people to do things that are scary to them. It may be a fear of inadequacy… a fear of failure… a fear of God… one way or another, there will be fear.’ John Ortberg
Some people probably read this story and think Peter was suicidal, crazy, nuts!
Yes there are those who claim God’s will in bizarre and hurtful situations but this is about clear and Biblical trust and faith in God that does not make sense sometimes. And it is scary.
But Jesus calls us to get out of our boats – of security, of fear, of contentment- because He has more for us and more for us to do for Him.
And we do and will feel inadequate to the task, to the call, but what He wants is us and our willingness and our obedience. He will give us the power and ability as needed to step out of our boat and move forward in faith.
Are you willing to get out of the boat this morning? Are you wanting to get out of the boat? Do you need to get out of the boat this morning?
The disciples are paralyzed in the boat. And the boat is fast becoming a dangerous place to be!
Some of the boats that we are in these days are sometimes the un safest place to be!
Perhaps God’s call to get out of the boat is a call to end a relationship or repair a current one.
Perhaps God’s call to get out of your boat is a call to change jobs and careers or be willing to make an adjustment of some kind in your current one.
Perhaps God’s call to get out of your boat is to walk across the lawn or street and begin a new relationship with a neighbor or to renew an established one.
Perhaps God’s call to get out of your boat is to place a family member in God’s hands and step away and let God take over or to go and seek reconciliation with a family member.
Perhaps God’s call to get out of your boat is to say ‘yes’ to God and decide to start a new ministry of some kind or to re-commit to serving an existing one.
Finally, perhaps God’s call to get out of the boat is to say ‘yes’ to God’s call to ministry and pursue ordination.
I recently had a prince of a guy from the last church I served, send me a note on Facebook and tell me that he had started working with the teens again and also began the process of ordination. He is in his 40’s with two teenagers. I told him that I was not surprised and spoke God’s blessing on him.
If God calls you, to the ministry (as in your paid employment type of ministry) you can run from it but you cannot hide! I know!
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you this morning? Please do not resist His call to get out of the boat. Obey Him and follow Him where and as He leads you. He’s calling, “come to me.” Amen.
