Illustration/Story/Quote/Statistic-
A new Barna research study where more than 5,000 were interviewed found that while a majority of Americans identify as Christians, only a minority are "practicing Christians." In fact, as many as 73 percent of the Americans say they are Christians, but only about 31 percent of the Americans said they attended church at least once a month. Only 34% claim to have read the Bible in their spare time at home over the last week. And an even smaller percentage (17%) had attended Sunday school or a small group Bible Study. In 2017 alone only 31% of Americans identified themselves as Christians who were “born-again.” Saved.
Many are willing to wear the label, but very few even know what it means.
This month we are studying what the Bible says in regards to being saved in a Sermon Series that I’ve titled “The harvest is passed, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.”
BODY:
Please Turn in your Bibles to... Matthew chapter 14
I’ll have to admit, this is definitely one of my favorite stories in the Bible and I know that I refer to it often. But I’m hoping that today we can see this scripture in a new and fresh way that speaks to our hearts. This is the story of Jesus walking on the water.
Now this is without a doubt a true story. Not an allegory. Not something made up for spiritual interpretation. I believe this happened, absolutely. But I do also believe that this story has significant spiritual truth and application for us. So it’s not just a neat, amazing story to tell our kids. This has something that is very relevant and applicable for our lives today.
So as we read and study this story in our Bibles today, we are going to have certain parts of the story represent certain aspects of our lives. Number one – the boat represents what is natural. You got that? The boat in our story represents what is natural for us. Okay?
The sea, the waves, and the wind all represent what is against us, what we struggle with, what is keeping us from moving forward. Okay? So these two things: The boat = what is natural for us, and the wind and the waves = what is against us. Let’s look at this together…
Matthew 14:22-33 New Living Translation (NLT) says…
22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
It says immediately after this. Well, immediately after what? Jesus had just fed 5,000 men plus women and children with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. He’d spent the entire day ministering to people, healing the sick, preaching the Good News, and he’s tired. He stays behind to dismiss the crowds and he tells his disciples to go on ahead of him. He’ll catch up.
Most of us would probably have gone somewhere to get some rest after all of that, but Jesus knew where strength came from and so he went up on a hill and found a quiet place by himself to pray. Seek His Heavenly Father. Disciples are on the boat. He’s on a hill.
Disciples are rowing, trying to get home for a good night’s rest. Jesus is praying.
I might make this point before we go on: Even though Jesus was fully God (the Son of God), he was also fully man. He was God in flesh. And so it might seem strange that God the Son needed to pray to God the Father.
My daughter asked us recently how Jesus could be God and God’s Son at the same time. How can Jesus be God and God be God too? That’s a tough one. I don’t think any of us can fully understand the trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – three in one). It’s a confusing concept. It’s a spiritual reality that is very difficult for us to understand from our human perspective. But probably the easiest and best explanation I can give is - Jesus needs his father like any child needs a father, for love, for direction, for protection, and fr strength. In his humanity he relied on his Heavenly Father (as we should) to do what could be done only in the super-natural. The Bible says in Philippians 2 that Christ emptied himself or made himself nothing not taking advantage or insisting on his divine privileges, but humbled himself and became a servant obedient to God even to death on a cross.
And that may be hard to wrap your brain around completely and that’s fine, but just remember Jesus was tempted in every way … every way as we are yet was without sin. How did he do that? Well, he was God. Okay but as a human, he relied on God the Father through prayer.
And that’s a good lesson to take from this, because so often what we begin with God we try to accomplish on our own in our own power and strength. We try to do something naturally that can only be done super-naturally.
But let’s get back to the story. Jesus is praying. The disciples are on a boat heading home.
Verse 24 says Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.
[From David Guzik] The Sea of Galilee is well known for its sudden storms, and during this storm Jesus wasn’t in the boat with the disciples.
Like the time when we calmed the sea during a raging storm.
But I might point out that this is not necessarily a storm. It just says that the wind is against them, the wind buffeted them, they were fighting heavy waves and a strong wind. The wind was … contrary. I love that, as if the wind had a personality and it was in a bad mood and was going to stop anyone who got in its way.
The wind was against them. They were rowing their boat against the wind.
Folks, I want to tell you this morning that there isn’t a person in this room who doesn’t struggle with something, who doesn’t have a weakness of some kind, who doesn’t have an old habit or sin that the devil loves to throw back in our faces. The Bible says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood. That means that our fight is not against people; it’s not even against ourselves though sometimes it feels like. No, our fight … our battle … our struggle is against “the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” It’s a spiritual fight. It’s a spiritual battle for your soul.
Remember what I said the boat represents – what we can do naturally, in our flesh. In our natural selves we cannot defeat sin, we cannot overcome. We’re stuck going no-where fast. The wind is against us.
Turn over to Ephesians 2:1-10 New International Version (NIV) where it says…
1 As for you [turn to your neighbor and say “As for you.”], you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time,gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
[This is where we are in the boat, in our natural selves, buffeted by the ruler of the kingdom of the air, and we are stuck out on those waters, dead in our transgressions and sins, deserving God’s wrath and judgment, and in serious danger until someone can rescue us. Who will rescue us? Who will deliver us? Who will save us? As it says in Romans 7 “Who will rescue me from this body of death?”]
Verse 4 says But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Jesus … is … our … salvation. Jesus came to rescue, to save the lost. Remember that as we return to our story in Matthew 14.
Verse 25 says… About three o’clock in the morning [in the fourth watch of the night] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.
[From David Guzik] According to Mark (Mark 6:47-52), Jesus came to the disciples when the boat was in the middle of the sea and after they had exhausted themselves rowing against the waves and windy storm.
So they are exhausted, tired from rowing all night and getting no-where fast. It is twilight hours, very early morning. Maybe they are fighting just to keep their eyes open after a full day’s work in ministry and then a full night of rowing against the wind.
But all of sudden something startles them awake! Something is out here on the lake with us! We are not alone!! Praise God that we are not alone! But it scared them because they were not expecting it. Sometimes I thing we don’t expect God to be there in our struggles.
Verse 26 says… When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” [Literally “it is I” or “it’s me”]
Don’t be afraid. It’s just me. Don’t be afraid. I am here.
28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.
Say What?! What does Peter want to do? He wants to walk on the water with Jesus. He doesn’t want to stay in this boat anymore; He wants to be with his Lord.
Do you know that God wants you to come to Him, to step out of that boat where you are comfortable, but it’s getting you no-where and you are exhausted, tired from the same ole’ fight. He says, “I am here. Would you Come to me?”
Come. No more waiting. No more fighting. No more struggle. Come to Jesus. Come.
So Peter does something amazing. No, I don’t think we give Peter enough credit for this move. He does something that is totally impossible. He steps out of the boat, climbs on out into the sea, onto the waters, and walks …. WALKS TO JESUS ON THE WAVES!
No, no, no I don’t think you heard me this morning! He walks to Jesus on the water, folks!
What in the world? How in the world? Now it’s one thing for the Son of God to do it, but it’s a complete other thing for one of us. Can you imagine being Peter and doing that? Can you imagine what it must have felt like, just the sensations, the adrenaline rush, the craziness of what is happening alone would have got to me! How in world does someone make such a bold request. But no, Peter wants to come to Jesus. I think that’s amazing, incredible. And can imagine being one of those disciples in the boat with Peter when he says that, let alone watching him actually do it? Wow! I think I’d believe I was dreaming or something. Been out on this sea way too long, now I’m hallucinating. But that’s what happened, believe it or not. That’s what happened.
Peter steps out of his boat (his natural self) and does something totally super-natural. Now how was Peter able to do this? And we all know the answer. It’s right in front of him. It’s right there on the waters with him. The very fact that he is able to walk on water is only because of who he walks toward – Jesus. Without Jesus it is just us in a leaky boat out on the waves with the wind against us going no-where. Now I don’t know if it was leaky, but you get the point. Without Jesus, we can only do what is natural for us. Sin and Sink!
With Jesus, we can do all things through Him gives us strength.
So he’s walking on water to Jesus step after careful step, maybe trying to think light happy thoughts. When all of sudden a gust of wind and a wet splash in the face.
Verse 30 says… But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
CONCLUSION:
Final Plea and Call to Action- “Save me, Lord!” Save me. Save me.
There’s someone here this morning and you’ve been fighting the same fight over and over and over, and you’re getting weary. You’re getting tired. You can’t do it anymore. You’re going no-where, in fact, if you’re honest you’re really going backwards. The devil’s winning and you’re losing. You’re going under. You’re sinking beneath the stuff that’s against you, the stuff that’s destroying you.
BUT YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Jesus is here and Jesus says “Come.”
Come, oh sinner, come. But you can’t do it on your own and you can’t do it if you stay.
There’s only one way to rise above it all, get out of that boat, fix your eyes on Jesus and come to Him, and cry out to Him, “Lord, Save me!” He’s there, He’s right there to lift you up.
Invitation- Would you please stand?
