#2343
Stepping Out Of The Boat: Daring To Live The Life That God Has For You!
Going To The Next Level Series
Matthew 14:22-34
Let me ask you a few questions today…
How many would like to move forward in your relationship with Christ?
How many have felt like you’ve been stuck in a rut?
In talking to a lot of people – I’m finding that people are not satisfied with where they are. They want more.
The problem lies in the fact that too many churches tell people that they need to move forward but don’t give them an opportunity to move forward.
People have dreams and ministries locked up inside them – not knowing how to go to the next level.
It is my desire that I personally and this church move to the next level What is it that God wants us to attain.
Example from Wayne Cadeiro’s book – Dream Releasers…
“The richest place on the earth is not the diamond mines of South Africa or the gold caches of Ecuador. It is not the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, or in the uranium excavations of the Balkans. Neither is it in the mineral deposits of the Dead Sea.
No, the richest plot of land on this planet is in your very own neighborhood. You might even have passed by it this morning.
It’s the cemetery.
That’s right! The graveyard is the wealthiest place in all of creation. Beneath those rectangular pieces of sod lie countless unsung melodies and unwritten poems. The grassy plots overflow with brilliant ideas that could have transformed entire communities, rehabilitated the lost and borne hope to the weary. Our burial grounds reek with unattained successes and unrealized dreams.”
These are things that could have been done but couldn’t because people couldn’t bring their dreams to realization.
Mat 14:22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
Mat 14:23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
Mat 14:24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
Mat 14:25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
Mat 14:26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
Mat 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."
Mat 14:28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
Mat 14:29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
Mat 14:30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"
Mat 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Mat 14:32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Mat 14:33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."
Mat 14:34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.
FIVE THINGS REGARDING MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Before we start moving forward… we need to discover some things about where we are in our relationship with God.
1. God Has A Plan For Me And Its Good – v.22
Mat 14:22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
The disciples had just been involved in the intensive situations.
They had to deal with the murder of John the Baptist and go through the grieving process of that.
Immediately afterwards they were thrown into a ministry situation where they were to feed 5,000 people and the only food they had was five loaves and two fish.
Ministry is draining at times. It’s exhausting. Sometimes we run on adrenaline. When the adrenaline drops… so do we.
Knowing this… Jesus decided that it was in the best interest of the disciples that they get away for a while.
They needed some R and R. They needed to be refreshed and spend some alone time with God.
It’s… Come apart before you come apart.
It’s at times like this that we often resist God because we don’t feel that He understands our life and the direction that we’re going.
There was an officer in the navy who had always dreamed of commanding a battleship.
He finally achieved that dream and was given commission of the newest and proudest ship in the fleet.
One stormy night, as the ship plowed through the seas, the captain was on duty on the bridge when off to the port he spotted a strange light rapidly closing with his own vessel.
Immediately he ordered the signalman to flash the message to the unidentified craft, "Alter your course ten degrees to the south."
Only a moment had passed before the reply came: "Alter your course ten degrees to the north."
Determined that his ship would take a backseat to no other, the captain snapped out the order to be sent: "Alter course ten degrees--I am the CAPTAIN!"
The response beamed back, "Alter your course ten degrees--I am Seaman Third Class Jones."
Now infuriated, the captain grabbed the signal light with his own hands and fired off:
"Alter course, I am a battleship." The reply came back. "Alter your course, I am a lighthouse."
No matter how big or important any of us think we are, God’s Word stands forth as an unchanging beacon. All other courses must be altered to His.
· If God’s plan for me is good then I must take heed to listen to God everyday.
Prov 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
Prov 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
As God directs your path… He will lead you and He will remove any hindrances.
He wants you in His perfect will more than you do.
What’s the first point? God Has A Plan For Me And Its Good!
2. God Sees Everything I’m Going Through – v.23
Mat 14:23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
Mark 6:46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.
Mark 6:47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.
Mark 6:48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
Let me draw a picture for you.
As he sends them away. He finds a place that overlooks the lake. The lake is surrounded by mountains that slope into the Galilean Sea.
On a clear moonlit night one could easily look over the water and see what was taking place.
In this case… Jesus saw that his disciples were struggling against the wind that was whipping over the mountains into the sea. (Much like when the winds whip over the Cajon Pass.)
Jesus was alone but He could see what was taking place. He was praying for them.
Don’t you think that this is reflective of our life today? God knows everything about me. He sees everything that I’m going through.
I heard a story the other day of a pastor that was building a church. When the church was almost to the end his administrator and a council member met with him to inform him that they were $25,000.00 short. They would finish the building but would have no money for the carpet, furniture and sound system.
The council member (an old crotchety type man) kept saying, “So… what are you going to do?”
Finally… after a while the pastor began to feel a little discouraged. He told the two men that he was going to take a short walk. As he began his walk, he noticed that the mail man just delivered the mail.
He decided to go pick up the mail.
As he pulled the mail out of the mailbox… he noticed that there was an envelop from another congregation about 40 miles away.
As he opened it up… he noticed a check from this congregation for $25,000.00 stating that God had put it on their hearts to help with their new building project.
God knew what was needed and when it would be needed.
Isa 65:24 I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
· God is there even when I don’t see Him!
What is the first point? God Has A Plan For Me And Its Good!
What is the second point? God sees everything I’m going through.
3. God’s Help Is Always On Time – v.26-27
Mat 14:26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
Mat 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."
Ask yourself this question… Why does God sometimes delay? Why did Jesus take so long to get to them?
The answer is this… If God delays… He’s got a good reason.
Do you remember the story of Lazarus in John 11?
Jesus waited two more days after hearing about the death of Lazarus. Why did He wait?
His delay was so that God would be glorified.
Often… we don’t understand God’s delays but God always has a reason.
Joseph was promised that he would someday be great and that his brothers would bow down to him. 16 years later he finds himself in a prison and no closer to his dream.
· If God delays it is because He wants to reveal His character to us.
The whole time Joseph was in prison… God was building character inside him. His time in prison was not in vain.
What is the first point? God Has A Plan For Me And Its Good!
What is the second point? God sees everything I’m going through.
What is the third point? God’s help is always on time.
4. God’s Purpose Is Always For Our Growth – vv. 28-29
Mat 14:28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
Mat 14:29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
God doesn’t give us a test with all the answers but in the middle of the test – He will give us a peace.
I like what Psalm 131:2 says…
Psa 131:2 But I have stilled and quieted myself, just as a small child is quiet with its mother. Yes, like a small child is my soul within me. (NLT)
This is the third storm we see about Peter’s life.
We all have storms that come into our life and they all have purposes of growth.
God wanted Peter to let go of his security blanket and trust him.
How many of us hold on to things from the past?
While Martin Luther was in a monastery… he would often go into the confessional booth and weep and cry for up to four hours.
People would say that he was nuts… but God was allowing him to go through things so that he could move on to the next level.
That’s what God is doing in many of your lives today… allowing you to experience things that are going to be important for that next level in your lives.
· I must step out of the boat in faith if I intend to go to the next level.
What is the first point? God Has A Plan For Me And Its Good!
What is the second point? God sees everything I’m going through.
What is the third point? God’s help is always on time.
God’s Purpose Is Always For Our Growth.
5. God’s Word Never Fails – v. 34
Mat 14:34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.
They arrived just where Jesus intended for them to be – the land of Gennesaret.
When you listen to the voice of God:
· Listen directly
Jer 33:3 ’Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
God is reliable. You don’t have to depend on others to listen for you. You listen directly to God.
· Take time to listen
· Be open to change
Some of you are in a season of change right now.
The disciples were headed one way and God said, “Get in the boat and go to the other side.”
Is God trying to get your attention to make some changes in your life.
Last week, I was in a conference. I went with an open heart… “God, if there is any thing you want to change in my life – then let it be.”
I shed a lot of tears.
Perhaps you’ve been praying for change but God had delayed answering you.
Know that God’s delays are to change us so when the answer comes – we will be thankful.
· Stay submitted
As long as I have a heart that is submitted… God will make sure I land in the right place.
What is the first point? God Has A Plan For Me And Its Good!
What is the second point? God sees everything I’m going through.
What is the third point? God’s help is always on time.
What is the fourth point? God’s Purpose Is Always For Our Growth.
What is the fifth point? God’s Word Never Fails
Are you willing to let go today and lean upon Jesus for what He desire for your life?
CONCLUSION
Listen to this story that really speaks of letting go.
A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows.
An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been
informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me," he said. "No, who are you?" said
the father.
The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I see the empty
chair; I figured you knew I was going to show up."
"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?"
Puzzled, the minister shut the door.
"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man
continued, "until one day four years ago my best friend said to me, Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus.
Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky because he promised, ’I’ll be with you always.’
Then just speak to him in the same way you’re doing with me right now."
"So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."
The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the
church.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.
"Did he die in peace?" he asked.
"Yes, when I left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead.
But there was something strange about his death.
Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head
on the chair beside the bed.
What do you make of that?"
The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that."
Song… I Have A Father… He knows my name.
