Pleasant Hill Baptist Church of Quitman MS
Pastor Michael DePhillips
www.forministry.com/39355PHBC
Peter didn’t walk on water but walked on the WORD!
Matthew 14:22-31 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. [23] And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. [24] 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. [26] And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. [27] 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. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. [30] 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?
Want to bring to your attention a story told of one of the survivors from the RMS Titanic which sank in the early 1900’s. One of the women who had climbed onto a life boat suddenly left to return to her stateroom for something. While she was very wealthy and diamond necklaces and jewelry was all over her stateroom, she picked up three oranges and put them into her coat pocket before returning to the lifeboat. She didn’t put any of the jewelry in her pocket even though it was nearby but only the three oranges in her room. WHY WOULD A WOMAN OF WEALTH LEAVE BEHIND WHAT SHE HAD SOUGHT AFTER MOST OF HER LIFE FOR THREE LITTLE ORANGES PROBABLY NOT WORTH MORE THAN THE POCKET CHANGE IN HER PURSE?
* PRIORITIES
The correct answer is that her PRIORITIES were changed by the circumstances she found herself in! How many times in your life have your priorities been re-arranged by the circumstances you find in your life? Some examples of that would be a father who has sacrificed his family on the idol altar of getting ahead at work suddenly finds himself at a hospital with a loved one dying of a disease that the doctors can’t fix. Another would be a someone finding themselves in a hospital room of their own facing eternity and wishing that they had lived their life differently. Never heard anyone on a deathbed asking for one more day at the office! PRIORITIES CAN CHANGE IN AN INSTANT THROUGH THE CIRCUMSTANCES WE FIND OURSELVES IN. Also want you to know that focusing on too many little things can bring disaster in your life, if you can’t concentrate on the REAL ISSUE. An example that we can remember in most of our lifetimes would be Eastern Airlines Flight 401 from New York to Miami on it’s approach to the Miami airport. A light failed to signal that the landing gear was properly engaged and while they kept fiddling with a 75 CENT lightbulb, the highly trained pilots forgot to fly the plane and it crashed in the Florida Everglades killing the passengers and crew. Don’t get so uptight about the little things that you forget the MAIN THING!
* What is the PRIORITY of the Church?
* What is the MAIN THING for the Christian?
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
The first priority of the church is to reach the lost for the kingdom of God. Any church that won’t help to build the kingdom by supporting and participating in evangelism efforts is merely an organization with tax exemption. We must learn to put faces to the lost and do everything in our power to reach them with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That means that we will have to leave our comfort zones and get involved in the harvest by telling people about what Jesus has meant in our life.
(1) Should amaze us that Jesus said to deny him to men on earth would mean he would deny us to God the Father but in the church he died for, we accept SILENT CHRISTIANS as the norm
Yet there remains the need to return to our first priority because the church doesn’t exist for us to establish programs to meet our needs but this place should be a war planning room where we decide how to invade the world for the Lord Jesus Christ! How can we accept anything less than what Jesus commanded us to do and think that he is pleased with us?
The Main Thing for the Christian is to develop a relationship with God that produces fruit bringing glory to God for the difference he has made in our life! Our faith in God must increase to the point that we believe God can still do the impossible. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is believing in what we hope for and trusting in what we cannot see but if you don’t believe me turn there and read it for yourself. Faith is trusting God when we don’t understand!
Lot of things that I don’t understand right now in my life but by faith I continue to trust God. Looking at the story of Peter in our text verse, I want to make a statement to you that I have never seen before until just the other day in a prayer meeting with my prayer group. PETER DIDN’T WALK ON WATER LIKE WE’VE BEEN TOLD ALL THESE YEARS! I know that some of you have tuned me out right about now but I want you to hear what I’m about to say to you because this is life changing. Peter didn’t walk on water that night on a stormy sea but Peter walked on the WORD! Look with me at verses 28 and 29...
A. Lord if it’s really you, COMMAND ME COME TO YOU!
B. And Jesus commanded him, COME!
Many times we try to get God to bless our plans after we’ve made them and the reason they fail is because even though it may have been a good idea, God’s ways are higher than our ways. We need to cultivate our hearts to hear his voice commanding us SO THAT WE CAN WALK ON THE WORD! We walk by faith not by sight! Glory! Even though I can’t see or understand by WALKING ON THE WORD I CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
You might ask how this applies so I’ll share with you my own struggles of late. Not long ago, I began to pray during a time of commitment I made to the Lord for Frank and during one of those times of prayer, by faith I know God spoke to me. I shared with the church what I felt deep inside my heart in such a way that I still don’t know the right words to express. I could at this time take you to two different sets of scriptures that I accepted as confirmation that he would be healed for the glory of God as a TESTIMONY of what God can still do to reach a world without hope as Christ is lifted up. My prayer was that this healing be a bellows on the ashes of revival to reach men and women boys and girls for the kingdom of God through the salvation of souls. When all hope seems lost LET THE GRACE OF GOD OVERFLOW AS WE WALK ON THE WORD! GLORY TO GOD! AMEN?
Have to be honest with you that in the last few days, doubt and unbelief entered my heart. Beloved you might not understand how this can happen but in my heart I’ve been walking up and down avenues of depression because by faith I believed God had spoken to me. Not trying to impress you but merely to be as transparent with you as possible because I was so sure and then one day Frank told me that Jesus had healed him. I rejoiced and cried and prayed and shouted and rejoiced some more but I remember what he said to me, Brother Mike this isn’t my life anymore but it’s his life to use as he wants for his glory. Amen! I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I that live but Christ lives in me! Glory to God. Then the last 15 days that fly in the face of what we believed.
Want you to know that the church is still the BODY OF CHRIST and we have been promised as the Bride to the BRIDEGROOM. I don’t have the answer but that’s not my job, my only requirement is to WALK ON THE WORD! I share that with you tonight not for any glory but to remind you to WALK ON THE WORD because the water will drown you just as it almost did to Peter when HE STOPPED WALKING ON THE WORD AND FOCUSED ON THE WATER. If that’s not a life changing truth from the Word of God, I don’t know what is because by the command of Jesus an ordinary man did the impossible that day and by faith God can still do the impossible if we’ll only WALK ON THE WORD!
(TIME OF RECOMMITMENT) With every breath of my body and beat of my heart I ask you God to help my unbelief and command me to come to you because just one word from your lips carries with it all the power needed for it to be accomplished. I believe you God and trust you no matter the outcome but for YOUR NAMES SAKE heal my brother. For YOUR NAMES SAKE have MERCY and SANCTIFY YOUR NAME to the world as a sign of hope. Sanctify yourself in us and let us see your mighty POWER DISPLAYED IN SUCH A WAY THAT NO MAN CAN STEAL YOUR GLORY IN THE MATCHLESS NAME OF JESUS! AMEN.
