Walking In Christ
Matthew 14:22-32
A Scotsman, was taking a trip to the Holy Land, and when he got to the Sea of Galilee he was aghast when he found it would cost fifty dollars an hour to rent a boat to go out on the water. He said, "in Scotland I could ha got a boat for about $20." "That might be true," said the boat man, "but you have to take into account that the Sea of Galilee is water on which our Lord Himself walked." "Well, at $50 an hour," said the Scotsman, "it’s little wonder He walked." - {From http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/faith-walk-jeff-strite-sermon-on-doubt-112158.asp}
Of all of the amazing things we have seen in our study of the “Life of Jesus”, to me this is one of the most intriguing. Not only does Jesus step off of the shore and walk (on water) to the boat, He gives Peter the opportunity to step out of the boat and walk to Jesus. This is absolutely amazing… Simon Peter, a mortal man, a common fisherman is given an opportunity to do the impossible. Guess what, we have the same opportunity! We may not defy the laws of gravity but Jesus has given each of His followers the opportunity to be apart of some amazing things.
If you are born again then you are to “Walk in Christ” - There is much said about our “walk” as Christians in the Word of God. Consider some of the things that Paul speaks of in his epistles:
o “Walking in newness of life” - Romans 16:4
o “Walking in good works” - Ephesians 2:10
o “Walking in love” - Ephesians 5:2
o “Walking honestly” - I Thessalonians 4:12
o “Walking in wisdom” - Colossians 4:5
o “Walking in the Spirit” - in Galatians 5:16
I especially like what he said in - Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
• In this story Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water.
Jesus instructed the disciples to boat the boat and cross to the other side of the Lake. Jesus remained with the people for a while and then sent them home. At this point Jesus goes to a place alone and spends time with His Father in prayer. He prayed all through the night ….Notice the time line of this prayer
v23 he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
v25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto {the disciples}
As Jesus approaches the disciples He sees them in the midst of the lake. The ship is being tossed with waves and they are scared. Then they saw Jesus walking to them on the water and they were really frightened! Jesus comforted them and said - v27b “it is I; be not afraid”Peter desired to walk on the water to go to Jesus and Jesus simply said “Come” - It is at this point that Peter does the impossible. ….v29b”He walked on the water to go to Jesus”! Then Peter saw the strong wind and the waves, and he became terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
v31 and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
There are many different facts about the Christian life that are found n this story. So tonight, instead of focusing on walking on water, I want to see what happens when we are “Walking In Christ” I want to begin with the fact that:
I. THERE WILL BE SOME DIFFICULT TIMES - v24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
The Disciples were in a difficult situation. This was a situation that Jesus had put them in - v22 and straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side. I would say there is a pretty good chance that they were in this boat …blaming Jesus! They have done so in the past - Mark 4:37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? I can hear them saying “he put us in this boat in the middle of this storm and He has been gone all night” …..”Where is He”??? When you “walk in Christ” you will often find yourself in some difficult situations.
I went in the house last week and Joel Osteen was on the T.V. ....I thought to myself, “I wish I could at least visit the planet that he is living on. I wish everything was a nice and rosy as he says it can be but the GOSPEL proves that there will be trouble for the believer. In fact, Jesus Himself stated that - “In this world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” - John 16:33
There will be difficult times and yes, some of those situations that you find yourself in will be orchestrated by your Heavenly Father! He puts you in situations in order to teach you and to train you. I don’t believe that Jesus was surprised or concerned when He saw the boat in the midst of the lake. He had a plan from the beginning. Wherever you find yourself today, as a child of God THERE IS A REASON AND A PLAN for the situation that you face. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.Not only will there be difficult situations for those “Walking In Christ” we also see that:
II. THERE WILL BE SOME STRANGE OCCURENCES- v26 and when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
Not only were the disciples concerned about the storm they were facing, now they are frightened by the sight of someone walking on the lake toward the boat. We are told that they “cried out for fear” - Let me tell you, if I am on a boat doing some night fishing and I see someone walking to me on the water I am going to “CRY OUT FOR FEAR TOO!!! Can we just admit that there are some strange occurrences in the Christian life? There are some situations and circumstances that just confuse us. I am not talking about life altering devastating circumstances, though we may face those. I am referring to those times when nothing seems to make sense. Maybe circumstances arose and you thought that God was doing something in your life but you just weren’t sure? Like these disciples you saw something coming at you but you didn’t realize what it was? Maybe you were terrified at first….And then after further examination you KNEW beyond a shadow of doubt that it was Jesus coming to perform a great work in your life?
Sometimes you find yourself in situations where you just have to say “Lord, I don’t know what you are doing but I am here to follow your command.
Let me share a personal illustration. Back in 2002 when God began to deal with me about the call to preach ….it scared me to death. I wasn’t really sure (in the beginning) that it was God. I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. The thought of preaching scared me to death… I was frightened and I cried out for fear. But after a while I knew that it was God. It took some time but eventually I got enough faith to step out of the boat and do what God had called me to do.
Sometimes there will be occurrences in the Christian life that you just don’t understand. But if you will look a little farther in the text we see how to endure those “Odd occurrences” When you are “Walking In Christ”
III. THERE WILL BE SOME ENCOURAGING CONVERSATIONS- v27 but straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come
This is so encouraging! The disciples were terrified and “crying out for fear” and Jesus says “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid” Have you ever been in a place of fear and devastation and Jesus comes to you speaks peace to your heart? The disciples were still in the storm it was still raging but Jesus said “be not afraid” - Jesus declared His identity, He said: "It is I”. He is saying “cheer up, God is here!"
Sometimes we forget who we serve - Matthew 28:18 {Jesus said} …All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.- If we can grasp His power then we can enjoy peace in the midst of trials.
Jesus in control of our lives
Jesus is God
Jesus possesses all power
Jesus has a plan for us
I am glad Jesus speaks comfort to our hearts. But the conversation with Jesus goes both ways. He talks to us but we also have the privilege of talking to Him. Notice - v28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come - When Peter realized that it was Jesus, he wanted to join in.Peter asked if He could and Jesus simply said “come” Peter obeyed and he too walked on the water. Jesus used the storm to help Peter grow in the faith. When those “Difficult Times Comes… when you encounter those “Odd Occurrences” in the Christian life then you will find that there are some “encouraging conversations”. And when there is a dialogue between you & the Lord then you will find that:
IV. THERE WILL BE SOME AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES- v29b And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
We all know this story, we know that Peter is going to walk on the water and we know that he is going to fall. But I can say this much for Peter, HE GOT OUT OF THE BOAT! The rest of the disciples were still there consumed with fear. Peter stepped out on faith and whether he fell or not, HE DID THE IMPOSSIBLE! I never realized until today that the storm didn’t start when Peter stepped out of the boat, Peter stepped out of the boat onto rough waters. There are things that God would have you to do that are not easy. There are things that may breed fear into your heart and life. Do you have the desire that Peter had? He desired to go to Jesus! When that calling comes upon your life to step out on faith and accomplish something for Jesus will you get out of the boat?
What Peter did was impossible without Christ. Maybe there is a God given mission in your life that you have failed to accomplish.It could be that you failed because you tried doing that task on your own power. Maybe there is a lack of faith that is hindering you… The Word says that “without faith it is impossible to please him”…. Hebrews 11:6
In our study of the life of Jesus we have seen the impact of faith in people’s lives. :
There was faith in those 4 men who brought the man to Jesus who had the palsy.
There was in Jairus whose daughter Jesus brought back from the dead.
There was faith in the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment.
There was faith in the lepers who were cleansed
There was faith in the sick that were healed.
There was faith of those disciples who followed Jesus
There are 2 common elements in each of these stories: ………Jesus Christ and faith in Him!
The Book of Hebrews records the presence of faith in the lives of many men & women of God:
By faith Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain
By faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying
By faith Noah built the ark to save his family from the flood.
By faith Sarah was able to have a child
By faith Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him.
We read of the impact of faith in the lives of:
• Isaac
• Jacob
• Joseph
• Moses
• the Children of Israel.
The Word goes on to speak of:
• Rahab
• Gideon
• Barak
• Samson
• David
• Samuel
• All the prophets.
Notice what they experienced through faith in God - Hebrews 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
There are some amazing opportunities to do great things for God when you have faith to step out of the boat. Are you “Walking In Christ”? If so then you will experience some “Amazing Opportunities” Things have been pretty encouraging thus far, The next point may not sound to encouraging but if you will stick with me you may be pleasantly surprised. Consider: When Walking In Christ -
V. THERE WILL BE SOME PERSONAL FAILURES - v30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31 and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
Peter walked on water and then he fell in and began to sink. Don’t overlook the fact that he was willing to step out of the boat in the first place. The rest of the disciples were still in the boat. They had the same opportunity to do the unimaginable as Peter did. Peter was willing to take a chance, and get down out of the boat. Notice what Jesus said to Peter when He rescued him… and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, why dids you doubt? If Jesus considered Peter’s faith small, what does that say about the remainder of the disciples? How many of you are too afraid to even step out of the boat for Jesus?
Maybe there is something He would like to use you for but you fear the results so you refuse to step out of the boat. You are missing out on those “Amazing Opportunities” that we just looked at. I hope there are some of you who are willing to step out of the boat and do what God is calling you to do. Friend, when you are “Walking In Christ” you may experience personal failure. Maybe some of you have stepped out of the boat in the past and you walked for a while and then like Peter you fell and began to sink.
Let’s examine what caused that “Personal Failure” in your life.
v31 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
Remember, the storm was already raging when Peter stepped onto the water. So, with the winds blowing and the waves crashing Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus.The key to this whole miracle is the fact that in the beginning Peter had his eyes on Jesus. If you are going to “Walk In Christ” …if you are going to accomplish anything for Jesus then you must keep your eyes on Him.
1) We will never have success in the Christian life if we do not have a Christ centered focus.
2) We will never have success as a Church unless we have a Christ centered focus.
When we lose sight of Jesus we will do just what Peter did… we will fall! And just like Peter we will not be in a place to help ourselves back up. - Peter took his eyes off the one who sustained him and focused on the difficulties around him. Maybe you have done the same thing:Somewhere along the way you were distracted by the impossibility of the task.You began to look at the troubles that were around you. You began to attempt to do things on your own. And now you are sinking!
Have you ever watched a young child who is learning how to walk? Sometimes they will take a few steps and then realize what they are doing and they will get scared and just sit down for fear of falling.
Maybe you have begun a work for God in the past and God was moving in a mighty way and you got scared and quit before your fell (so to speak)Whatever the circumstance… whatever the reason you are sinking and no longer doing the impossible task that was set before you. What is the answer...What can you do? Do what Peter did! Realize that you have fallen and cry out to Jesus to lift you back up! He will do that today! I would rather be the disciples that walked on water and then fell, than to be one who was never willing to get out of the boat. This was not Peter’s first failure and it was far from his last, but Jesus used him in a mighty way because Peter kept getting back up! Peter was a flawed disciple but he was one who “Walked In Christ “What about you? Are you walking in Christ?
If you are then you can rest assured:
i. There Will Be Some Difficult Situations
ii. There Will Be Some Odd Occurrences
iii. There Will Be Some Encouraging Conversations
iv. There Will Be Some Awesome Opportunities
v. There Will Be Some Personal Failures
And it is the best life you could ever live!
Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
