GET OUT OF THE BOAT
Matt 14:25-32
Years ago my wife and I were at a football game. Our team was losing, the man in front of us was bad mouthing our team for losing. She took it as long as she could, then she tapped the man on the shoulder and said:
“either suit up or shut up”.
Many in the church today are just spectators. Unfortunately, some are like the man sitting in front of us at the football game, they are openly criticizing the leaders of the church without getting into the battle themselves.
I wonder what those in the boat were saying about Peter as he began to step out of the boat? Why didn’t they get out of the boat ? Previously they had seen Jesus still the storm in chapter 8. Still they were afraid.
Before we are to tough on the rest of the disciples, think of the many times the Lord has show us his power, yet we fail to get out of the boat.
There are several factors we should consider as we think about our boat, our storms, and our obedience to Christ.
I/ COURAGE
Courage might be described as the absence of fear. Matthew recorded that they were terrified and “cried out in fear”. Do you know that fear is the opposite of faith ?
Often soldiers are given metals for courage and bravery. Most of them will say at the time they were not afraid. Maybe they trusted in their own ability, but as Christians we should be courageous because we believe or have faith in The Lord’s ability.
Why don’t we get out of the boat ? It looks safer in the boat and we are afraid to leave the safety and comfort of the boat.
In the story of the 90 and 9 sheep, the Shepard had to leave them and his comfortable place, and go out into the wilderness and search for the one lost sheep.
Do you think there are times when we should leave the comfort of our church and our friends and look for the lost sheep ?
Why didn’t they recognize Jesus ? They thought He was a ghost.
Sometimes in the middle of our storm, tormented by waves of disappointment and doubt, we are no better at recognizing his presence than they were.
Are you afraid of the unknown ? Notice it was Jesus that sensed their fear and said to them “do not be afraid”. Do you know Jesus knows about your fears ?
Do you remember Jesus said “My Peace I give unto you”. We are afraid because we don’t know the future. But Jesus does, and He is saying to you
like the disciples, “Don’t be afraid”.
When we believe Him we are willing to try great things for God! The world will wonder where you got your courage.
II/ COMMAND
“Peter said, Lord if it is you, command me”. Serving God always should start with His command. What has He already commanded us to do ?
IN THE BIBLE:
He said “ a new command I give unto you, that you love one another”.
He said “ Pray for Laborers for the harvest”
He also said “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel”
He said “Follow me and I will make you a fishers of men”
These plus many others sound like commandments to me.
In this passage, Jesus just said to Peter, “come”. If God would speak to you and ask you to do something scary, would you come ?
What is it meant leaving your home, what if it would cost you a large sum of money, what if it would be uncomfortable ? Would you go ?
John Ortberg wrote a book called “If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the Boat”. He has a chapter called “boat potatoes”. These are people who are letting life pass them by because they are afraid to get out of the boat.
We also call them couch potatoes. They have abilities and gifts that are never opened, sinful patterns of behavior that are never confronted and changed, Until weeks become months, and months become years.
One day they realize there are great prayers they never prayed, risks they never took, gifts they never offered, lives they never touched.
There they are sitting in a recliner with a shriveled soul, and forgotten dreams. (Elizabeth in Peru about her neighbors)
They realize the world is in desperate need, that God called them to be part of something big. They see the person they could have become, but did not. They never followed their calling, they never got out of the boat.
Greg Levoy said: “Jesus promised those who would follow Him only three things. That they would be absurdly happy, entirely fearless, and always in trouble”
Peter was at the beginning absurdly happy and elated, to get out of the boat in a storm, he was entirely fearless. But before long he began to see the wind and the waves and he knew he was in trouble.
The point is that when we obey God’s call, it is going to be glorious, but there are going to be lots of difficulties. That is why Jesus said “take up your cross and follow me”
Proof that few of us are following Jesus, is the lack of difficulty we face.
Those that preach that if you are godly you will prosper, didn’t get that out of the Bible.
Paul said that if we suffer with him we shall also be glorified with him. How have we suffered for Jesus ? The bible says that God is love, do you know how much that love cost Him ?
I want to ask a question: What do we let our love for Him, cost us ?
Peter after obeying God’s call, found himself in trouble because of his lack of trust or lack of faith. Some hear God’s call to follow him, but are afraid,
they will suffer loss so they will not go.
The best example of this is the rich young ruler, who when asked to sell all that he had and follow Jesus, went away sad because he had great wealth.
III/ CRISIS
“Peter became frightened and began to sink” The single command that occurs more often in scripture than any other, is for us not to be afraid !
Lloyd Ogilvie notes that 366 times in the Bible we are commanded to not be afraid.
A 2 year old girl stands by the side of a pool. Her father is in the pool and says “jump”. He says don’t be afraid, trust me, I will catch you. In this moment she is in crisis. On the one hand everything in her says “stay put”
On the other hand that is her daddy in the pool. The battle is between fear and trust.
Inside her is a tiny spark of will, and with it she determines to jump or back away. If she jumps she will began to trust her father more. If she backs away, she will lose that opportunity to discover that her father can be trusted. The next time He asks her to jump she will be more inclined to safety, and will avoid being faced with decisions in the future.
That is a picture of many of us. But be careful, that you trust only Jesus. The bible says “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. The fear of being separated from God is a good fear. Trusting a false prophet is a bad trust.
In this story, Jesus identified himself to Peter. We can trust God’s word,
Be afraid of anything contrary to God’s Word.
Even after we have trusted God’s word, Satan is not through with us. Even as Christians he will ask us to not trust God.
In Genesis 3:1 Satan said to Eve, “Did God really say, you must not eat from any tree in the garden”.
Then Eve said to Satan that God did say “you must not eat fruit from the tree in the mist of the garden and you must not touch it or you will die”.
Satan lied to and said “you will not surely die” but you see death is separation, and through that sin Adam and Eve were separated from God
and separated from the garden where the tree of life was.
So Peter took his eyes off Jesus, then looked this scary world and began to sink. That brings me to my final point.
IV/ CHRIST
Peter had the good sense that when he was in trouble he prayed ! Granted it was a short prayer. “Lord save me”.
Who was Peter saying that to ? Colossians 1:16-17 speaking of Jesus says:
15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” NIV
How great are the things He has created ? Take the universe, the closest galaxy to our own Milky Way is the Andromeda Galaxy. This “next door” galaxy is 2 ½ million light years away from our own.
How big is God? Think of the size of the universe. The nearest star is about four light years away from earth. How far is that? That is the distance that light travels in four years. Light travels at the speed of 186,000 miles per second. This means that the nearest star is about 24 trillion miles away from earth.
Psalm 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the works of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him...?
I marvel at God who is so great that He can manage the entire universe and still care about even the minor needs of millions of His children here on earth.
Peter was calling on the one who he had seen stilled the storm and healed a man with leprosy in Chapter 8 and brought to life a rulers daughter in Chapter 9.
Will you be willing today, to "get of the boat", trust God and experience His power in your life ?
