“Get Out Of The Boat”
Matthew 14:22-33
INTRODUCTION: We continue in our series on ‘Great Events In The Life And Ministry Of Jesus’.
The last few weeks, we have seen Jesus do a great many things. We have seen Him perform miracles … cleanse the Temple … heal the sick … forgive sins … change lives. One thing for sure … no one is ever the same when they have an encounter with Jesus … AMEN?
Do you ever wonder where Jesus is when you really need Him? How do you find Jesus?
STORY – A little boy wanted $100 very badly, and prayed for 2 weeks, but nothing happened. Then, he decided to write a letter to the Lord requesting the $100. When the Post Office received the letter addressed to “The Lord, USA”, they decided to send it to President Bush. The President was so impressed, touched, and amused, that he instructed his secretary to send the little boy a $20 bill. President Bush thought that this would appear to be a lot of money to a little boy. The little boy was delighted with the $20, and sat down to write a “Thank You” note to the Lord, which read: “Dear Lord, thank you so very much for sending me the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you had to send it through Washington D.C., and, as usual, those jerks deducted $80. Love, Tommy.”
I think maybe Tommy went the wrong route to find Jesus!
At this point in His ministry, Jesus was gradually preparing the Disciples for when He would leave them in a few months. In Mt. 8:23-24, Jesus was WITH them in the storm. NOW … the Disciples are in a boat in a storm WITHOUT Jesus – 14:22.
Jesus is weaning His Disciples. He will soon go away, and send the Holy Spirit to indwell them permanently. When the storms come in OUR life, we don’t have a PHYSICAL Jesus to go to. BUT … He offers us the same peace & victory that He offered His Disciples in our text today.
Jesus is sending His Disciples into a storm … ALONE. In a few months He will be crucified … they will see Him no more … UNTIL … “absent form the body, present with the Lord”.
We are in the same boat. We have to face the storms of life without Jesus. “Where is Jesus? Has anybody seen Jesus?” So, what did He do? Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell US. John 14:16-17 - "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever; [17] that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”
Let’s take a look at how Jesus was preparing His Disciples/us for the time He would be absent from us in His BODY.
14:22 – “constrained” – The word in the Greek means ‘compel, persuade’ … they didn’t want to go! Jesus had just fed 5000+ (14:15-21). Jesus was the “Man of the Hour” … and THEY were with Jesus! They didn’t want to leave and miss out on all the fanfare that was going on.
John tells us what happened right after the miracle of the feeding of the 5000+ (Matthew doesn’t mention this. Turn to John 6:14-16.
There came a group of men who wanted to make Jesus their KING. Think of the armies that He could feed with this miracle. He could heal the wounded … raise the dead soldiers to fight again. What a King Jesus would make!
Jesus didn’t want the Disciples in on that discussion … they might take to the idea. Jesus went to a mountain to pray … and sent the Disciples off in a boat across the Sea of Galilee. The Disciples obeyed … though reluctantly … BUT … they went.
Do WE obey only the commands we LIKE? The EASY ones? AND THEN … ignore, or deliberately disobey the rest?
o EASY – “Forsake not the assembly …” … HARD – “Love your enemy, pray for them, forgive them.”
o EASY – “Make a joyful noise …” … HARD – “Deny yourself, and follow Me.”
They may not have LIKED it …. BUT … they OBEYED the command of Jesus.
14:23 – Jesus went to a mountain to pray for His Disciples. Jesus isn’t here in Priscilla Baptist Church, in BODY, in 2003. Thank God for that! If He was, He could only be in 1 place at a time. AND … to be honest, I would rather He bin in Washington D.C. … or Iraq.
What is Jesus doing, in Heaven, at the Throne of God, where He is right now? He’s PRAYING … for you … and for me. Hebrews 7:25 – “He ever liveth to make intercession for us.”. What is Jesus doing for Ray Scott right now? He’s praying for me … interceding for me … and for you.
JESUS: “Father, there is Ray Scott, down there at Priscilla Baptist Church. He needs wisdom, courage, ability, freedom of speech & thought … a hedge around him from the attacks of the Devil.”
JESUS: “There are people in that church with NEEDS … for comfort, strength, wisdom, forgiveness, salvation …” Jesus is calling you BY NAME to the Father … presenting your needs to Him.
BELL – Jesus may have sent them out ALONE … BUT … you are never alone when Jesus is praying for you. AMEN?
14:24 – According to Mark, Jesus saw them the whole time they were on the Sea of Galilee. This storm didn’t take Jesus by surprise. Turn to Mark 6:46-48.
NOTICE: They were in God’s will … had obeyed Jesus … YET … in a storm. It seems like a contradiction, doesn’t it? When we are in His will, we don’t expect storms, do we? Being in the will of God OUGHT to mean smooth sailing … RIGHT? Storms really mess up our life.
STORY: “Have you ever noticed that they put advertisements in with your bills now? Like bills aren’t distasteful enough, they have to stuff junk mail in there with them. I get back at them. I put garbage in with my check when I mail it in. Coffee grounds, potato peelings, gum wrappers. I write, “I had to throw away your garbage … could you throw mine away, too?”
When you’re in God’s will, everything is supposed to be a bed of roses … RIGHT? Look at JONAH … he ran from God … a storm came up … that’s to be EXPECTED. BUT … the Disciples are running WITH God … obedient … and then a storm comes up.
LESSON: Just because you are in God’s will, doesn’t mean that your crops won’t die … you won’t get sick … your car won’t break down … you won’t get cancer … you’ll get an A on your math test. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? It means that … Jesus is praying for you. You’ve got Jesus watching over you. You are never out of His sight or thoughts. You are never alone.
Jesus is there to COMFORT you in the storm … not like “Aunt Emma”.
STORY: “A couple’s happy married life almost went on the rocks because of the presence in the household of old Aunt Emma. For 7 long years she lived with them, always crotchety, always demanding. Finally the old girl died. On the way back from the cemetery, the husband confessed to his wife, “Darling, if I didn’t love you so much, I don’t think I would have put up with having your Aunt Emma in the house all those years. His wife looked at him, aghast. “MY Aunt Emma!”, she cried. “I thought she was YOUR Aunt Emma!”
Hebrews 13:5 says that Jesus will “never leave nor forsake you”. SOMETIMES … Jesus SENDS you INTO a storm. That’s OK. I would rather be on the Titanic heading toward an iceberg … IN the will of God. THAN … on a bass boat on a sunny day OUTSIDE the will of God. AMEN?
14:25 – “fourth watch” – 3-6 A.M. They had been rowing since dark … 8-10 hours. It was 6 miles across the Sea of Galilee. They had only gotten half way across. John 6:19 – “Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened.” They had rowed as hard as they could … BUT … they hadn’t made much progress during the storm. They were exhausted.
NOTICE: Jesus came to them in their hour of greatest need. Jesus may not come on your schedule … BUT … He’s always on time … AMEN? Jesus will ALWAYS be there for you.
NOTE: Mark gives us an INSIGHT to something that happened on the stormy sea. Mark 6:48 – all turn. “and would have passed them by”.
Jesus wasn’t walking TOWARD the boat … He was walking ALONGSIDE the boat! The Disciples were rowing their hearts out … and Jesus walked right past them.
14:26 – Can you imagine the shock of seeing what they saw? They didn’t recognize Jesus … the water, waves, wind, lightening … they were hard at work rowing. It’s like being on a Boeing 747 and looking out the window, seeing a man walking on the wing. It’s like being in outer space in the space shuttle, and seeing a man in a Hummer drive by. They thought it was a ghost … I can understand that!
ISN’T IT TRUE … that … when you’re in the middle of a dark storm in your life … it’s hard to recognize Jesus?
You recognize:
o Your NEED for help.
o Your SIN that got you into the storm.
o The DEVIL who is attacking you.
BUT … we seldom recognize Jesus … Who is always right along side us.
14:27 – Sometimes we can’t always SEE Jesus in the midst of our storms … BUT … we should be able to recognize His VOICE. In the storms of life, we need to go to:
o His WORD … the VOICE of Jesus speaking to you.
o PRAYER … where we can commune with Jesus, one on One.
o CHURCH … where God has a message for you, to meet your needs.
BUT … what do we USUALLY do when we’re in a storm? We quit reading our Bible … we quit praying … we quit going to Church.
I can’t SEE Jesus … BUT … I can hear His VOICE. It’s His VOICE that gives us PEACE.
STORY: An elderly Christian woman, living alone, was awakened by noises one night. She confronted a burglar in her living room. Immediately she shouted, “Acts 2:38!” (“Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”). The burglar froze in his tracks. The woman called the police and explained to them what had happened. As the police officer was leading the burglar away, he asked, “I don’t understand why you just stood there and didn’t run away. All the woman did was yell a Scripture from the Bible at you.” “Scripture?” the burglar answered. She kept yelling ‘Acts 2:38’ and I thought she said she had an ax and two 38’s!”
14:28 – NOTICE what Peter asked: “Let me walk on the water with You.” It took a lot of faith to go from the safety of the boat into the storm of the wind and waves … to defy gravity and the forces of nature. BUT … Peter wanted to do it ONLY IF Jesus wanted it … “Bid me come”. In other words, Peter is saying: “I’m not trying this on my own!”
LET ME ASK YOU … When you are in the midst of a storm in your life … do you try to GET OUT OF THE STORM … OR … OUT OF THE BOAT? We want out of the STORM, don’t we? We usually pray: “Lord make the storm stop … change my circumstances … I want out of the storm … NOW!”
WHAT DOES JESUS WANT? Jesus wants you to get out of the BOAT … and come to Him.
14:29 - NOTICE: The storm didn’t stop. Right in the middle of the storm, Peter gets out of the boat … and walks on the water to Jesus. The waves are still rolling … the wind is still blowing … the rain is still pouring down. Peter is in the middle of the storm … walking toward Jesus.
Peter was held up by the power of Jesus … only Jesus can walk on water.
STORY: A man had a friend, and they went duck hunting together every year. His friend always tried to outdo him in everything, and he was never able to impress his friend. After duck hunting season 1 year, he decided to buy a retriever dog. He spent thousands of dollars training this dog to do impossible things. Finally, the first day of duck hunting season arrived and he would, at last, be able to impress his friend. His friend shot the first duck and it fell into the lake. Immediately the dog jumped onto the lake and started walking on the water, retrieved the duck, and returned. His friend didn’t say a word. Another duck was shot, fell into the lake, and the dog once again walked on the water and retrieved the duck. Still not a word from his friend. The hunter finally asked his friend, “What do you think of my dog … didn’t you notice anything special about him?” “Sure”, said the friend, “Can’t swim, can he?”.
Peter wasn’t walking on the water in his own strength … he was walking with Jesus!
14:30 – What happened? Peter took his eyes off Jesus. WHY? Probably because he expected the storm to calm down when he stepped out of the boat. OR … at least, for the waves to die down the closer he got to Jesus.
It didn’t happen. His circumstances didn’t change … BUT … Peter did! He changed from a man of FAITH … to a man of FEAR & DOUBT. WHY? Because he took his eyes off Jesus, and looked at the circumstances around him. “saw the wind boisterous”.
NOTICE: Peter’s prayer was short, sweet, and to the point! “Lord. Save me!” When things are going our way, we don’t see much of a need for Jesus. We tend to take Him for granted … we ignore Him. BUT NOW … Peter senses his need for Jesus … and acted accordingly. That’s why God put him in the storm … SO … he would see his need of Jesus.
14:31 – Had Jesus changed? NO! Jesus never changes. It was Peter who had changed … “O thou of little faith.”
LESSON: You will sink as low as your faith … BUT … Jesus is always there to catch you. BELL. 1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
14:32 – NOTICE: Even after Jesus caught Peter, the storm was still raging. The storm continued UNTIL they both got into the boat together.
LESSON: You can have fellowship with Jesus, even in the midst of life’s greatest storms. BUT … the storms won’t stop … UNTIL … you’re in the boat with Jesus. Until you see Jesus face to face in glory, you will have storms in your life.
14:33 - 3 things you can always count on: Death, taxes, and STORMS. BUT … taxes and storms end upon death. If you are a child of God, when you get safely home with Jesus, you will experience true WORSHIP.
This is the PURPOSE for the storms in our life … to bring us to this point … of seeing Jesus for who He is … as the One who can see us through the storms in our life … and cause us to WORSHIP Him.
CONCLUSION: We often criticize Peter because he began to sink. BUT … I notice that ONLY ONE Disciple got out of the boat! The other 11 never got out.
Jesus will always come through in the storms of life. “Where is Jesus? I don’t see Jesus?” He’s only a prayer away. AND … Jesus is praying for you … right now! Let’s pray together … let’s connect with Jesus right now.
HEADS BOWED … EYES CLOSED
Maybe you’re prayer today is like Peter’s prayer … “Lord. Save me.” If that’s the case, you need to get your eyes off your circumstances … off your good works … off the storm. You need to put your eyes on Jesus … BECAUSE … He’s the only One who can see you through the storm of sin that will lead you to Hell. You need to get out of the boat, because it’s sinking fast. You need to come to Jesus. Maybe Jesus has put a storm in your life to bring you to the point of coming to Him … and giving your life to Him.
Maybe you’re a Christian who has been going through a terrible storm. You’re looking at the wind, waves and seas … and you don’t see much hope. Jesus is there! AND … He’s praying for you. You need to get out of the boat, and take Jesus by the hand. Maybe He has brought this storm into your life for this very purpose … so you will come to Him, and trust Him to see you through this storm.
STAND – PRAYER
HYMN - #183 – “Only Trust Him”
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
“Get Out Of The Boat”
Matthew 14:22-33
INTRODUCTION: Where is Jesus when you need Him?
- Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us – John 14:16-17
14:22 – “constrained” – The Disciples didn’t want to go.
- John 6:14-16 – They wanted Jesus as their King.
- Do we obey only the commandments we like … the easy ones?
14:23 – Jesus is interceding for you NOW – Hebrews 7:25
14:24 – Nothing takes Jesus by surprise – Mark 6:46-48
- They were in God’s will … YET, in a storm.
- Jesus will comfort you in every storm of life – Hebrews 13:5
14:25 – Jesus came to them in their greatest hour of need.
- Jesus is always on time.
- Mark 6:48 – Jesus was walking alongside the boat.
14:26 – It’s hard to recognize Jesus in the storms of life.
14:27 – You should recognize the voice of Jesus … through the Bible, prayer & in church.
14:28 – Do you try to get out of the storm … or … out of the boat?
- Jesus wants you out of the boat and to come to Him.
14:29 – The storm didn’t stop just because Peter got out of the boat.
14:30 – Peter’s circumstances didn’t change … but Peter did.
- Peter took his eyes off Jesus … and began to sink.
- God puts you in a storm to focus your eyes on Him.
14:31 – Peter changed … Jesus didn’t change.
- You will sink as low as your faith … but Jesus is always there to catch you – 1 Peter 5:7
14:32 – The storm continued until they were in the boat.
- You’ll have storms in your life until you are with Jesus.
14:33 – The purpose for storms in our life is for us to worship Jesus.
CONCLUSION:
- Jesus will always come through in the storms of life.
- Jesus is only a prayer away.
PRISCILLA BAPTIST CHURCH – Ray Scott, Pastor
