Peter’s walk on the water with Jesus is a wonderful illustration of the walk of faith. We have been looking to this passage to see what we might learn about walking by faith. We have said that walking by faith means getting out of the boat, that we must be willing to stand up and step out where He calls us to; that it also means resisting my fears - Unfounded Fear Of the Lord, Unfounded Fear Of The World, & Unfounded Fear Of Failure. Finally, I want us to notice one more thing about what it means to walk by faith. To walk by faith means focusing my attention on Jesus!
This is important, for many have the idea that faith is our source of power for daily living. Not so. Jesus is our source for power for daily living! It is only as our faith is directed toward Him, that we experience His power at work in us to be and do what we previously thought
impossible! You see, the question is not, “Do I have faith?” The question is, “Do I have faith in myself or do I have faith in Jesus?” Peter didn’t walk on the water because he had faith in himself. He walked on the water because he had faith in Jesus. As long as he focused on Jesus, he stayed on top of the water!
Likewise, if you and I want to overcome the world, rather than be overwhelmed by it; if we want to be a victor in this world rather than a victim in it; if we want to tread on the water rather than tread water, we must focus on Jesus!
From Peter’s walking on the water, we learn that focusing on Jesus will involved 5 things:
1. Listening To Jesus - v.28
Peter knew that if the image out on the water that day was the Lord, He would have something to say to him. That’s the way Jesus relates to His followers - He is not silent - He speaks to them.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” - John 10:27 (NIV)
It isn’t a question of whether God speaks - that is a given - but are we listening?
Kind of like the guy who lived near a dam that had burst. A fellow came by in a car and offered to take him to safety. His reply was, “Don’t worry, the Lord will take care of me.” As the waters rose, someone else in a boat came by and offered to take him to safety. Again, he declined the offer saying, “The Lord will take care of me.” Then as he was on top of his roof with the flood waters all around him, someone in a helicopter came by and told him to climb up the ladder they had dropped down to him and they would take him to safety. To which he responded, “no thanks, the Lord will take care of me.” After he died in the flood, in heaven, he asked the Lord why He hadn’t rescued him. The Lord replied, “I sent you a car, a boat and a helicopter, what more did you want?”
Are you listening for the voice of the Lord in your life? People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for.
“Whoever has ears, let them hear.” - Matthew 11:15 (NIV)
Of course, it is difficult to tune in to a message from heaven, if your life is filled with earthly static! That’s why the other disciples did not venture out of the boat. They were so focused on the wind and the waves, they couldn’t see past them to recognize the Lord. Which brings up an important point:
It isn’t faith to look back at yesterday and say, “It was the Lord.” Faith looks at the dim-shadowed figure on today’s stormy sea and says, “It is the Lord!”
Let me encourage you to take time to shut earthly static out of your life and listen as Jesus calls out to you. He has a word for you, just as He did for Peter. Are you listening?
2. Looking To Jesus - v. 29
In walking on the water, Peter looked to Jesus. So must we.
“The way each day will look to you, all starts with who you are looking to.” - Anonymous
In Hebrews 12:1-3a, we are told that looking to Jesus is the key to victorious living. The word “looking” in verse 2 is the word “aphorao.” It occurs no where else in Scripture but here and means “looking away from all else, looking at that which fills the heart.” The word “consider” in verse 3, is the word “analogizomai,” and also appears only here. The word means “to reckon up.” In other words, as we consider the call of the one who promises to empower us to do what He calls us to do, let’s add up all that He is! As we do, we will conclude that what He calls us to He will enable us to perform. We are told to consider:
A. His person (greatness) - “the author and perfecter of our faith”
B. His passion (goodness) - “endured the cross”
C. His Position (glory) - “at the right hand of the throne of God”
Dr. Bill Bright was once asked how he has been enabled to live such a tremendous life of faith and be so used of God. He said, “Study the attributes of God. Once we understand how awesome God is, we will not hesitate to believe great things for God’s
kingdom.”
3. Leaning On Jesus - v. 30
Peter learned he could not stay above water without leaning on the power of Jesus. We, too, must lean on Jesus. Faith has been defined as: Forsaking All I Trust Him. I must ignore the wind and the waves, and trust Jesus!
“But Jesus paid no attention to what they said . . .” (Mark 5:36). I love that line! lt describes the critical principle for seeing the unseen: Ignore what people say. Block them out. Turn them off. Close your ears. And, if you have to, walk away. Ignore the ones who say it’s too late to start over. Disregard those who say you’ll never amount to anything. Turn a deaf ear toward those who say that you aren’t smart enough, fast enough, tall enough, or big enough - ignore them. Faith sometimes begins by stuffing your ears with cotton. Jesus turns immediately to Jairus and pleads: “Don’t be afraid, just believe.” Jesus compels Jairus to see the unseen. When Jesus Says, “Just believe . . .,” He is imploring, “Don't limit your possibilities to the visible. Don’t listen only for the audible. Don’t be controlled by the logical. Believe there is more to life than meets the eye!” “Trust me,” Jesus is pleading. “Don’t be afraid; just trust.” - Max Lucado,
He Still Moves Stones
“When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway - deciding not to live on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do, but on the basis of what God said He would do. Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God's promise, asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, and sure that God would make good on what He had said.” - Romans 4:18-21 (The Message)
4. Learning From Jesus - vs. 31-32
As a result of venturing out by faith, Peter learned some things.
Generally speaking, when you and I focus on Jesus and respond to His call to follow Him by faith, we will learn:
A. About ourselves - v. 31b
Specifically, Peter learned two things about himself:
1) His fears left him faithless.
“To be fearful is to be faithless; but to be faithful is to be fearless!”
2) His doubts left him defeated.
It wasn’t wind or waves that caused Peter to sink - it was his doubt! There are many things over which we have no control, but we do control whether or not we will believe God!
If we make that choice, refusing to submit to our doubts, then we will have victory.
“This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” - 1 John 5:4 (NIV)
B. About our Savior - vs. 31a; 32
Specifically, Peter learned two things about his Savior:
1) Jesus can rescue us from the waters of failure - v. 31a
2) Jesus can restore us to the walk of faith - v. 32
5. Living For Jesus - v. 28; 30
When you and I focus our attention on Jesus, like Peter, we will want to be and do all the Lord has in mind for us. This desire will result in a willingness to respond to the call of the Lord by faith, and the walk of faith will impact . . .
A. The works we perform - v.28
Peter’s desire to live for the Lord prompted him to want to be part of something that was God-sized, like walking on the water! Peter wanted to do what Jesus did. In the same way, if we truly want to live for the Lord, we will want to do as He did in this world - specialize in doing the impossible.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” - John 14:12 (NIV)
‘Faith sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, believes the incredible, and attempts the impossible!” - Anonymous
“World records are only borrowed.” - Sebastian Cole, British middle-distance runner
B. The witness we present - v. 30
“Some people say, ‘God will never ask me to do something I can’t do.’ I have come to the place in my life that, if the assignment I sense God is giving me is something that I know I can handle, I know it probably is not from God. The kind of assignments God gives in the Bible are always God-sized. They are always beyond what people can do because He wants to demonstrate His nature, His strength, His provision, and His kindness to His people and to a watching world. That is the only way the world will come to know Him.” - Henry Blackaby
Conclusion: Today, won’t you focus your attention on Jesus? Listen to what He is saying to you. Look to Him, lean on Him, learn from Him, and live for Him!
