Walking On Water
by Scott R. Bayles, preacher
Church of Christ
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:1-3a
Invitation Song: Faith & Praise #453 "Love Lifted Me"
Claudia was a newlywed in her twenties when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease and given only a fifty percent chance of survival. Quickly, she was operated on and began cobalt treatments that transformed her almost overnight from a young, beautiful woman to a physical wreck.
Her husband was a chaplain’s assistant in a hospital and had seen many sick and dying patients. He said, "In the movies, couples who have fought for years, in the face of danger suddenly forget their differences and come together. But it doesn’t necessarily work that way in real life."
"When a couple encounters a crisis," he said, "it magnifies what’s already present in their relationship. Since Claudia and I trust God and love each other deeply, the crisis drove us closer...The crisis of her illness merely...intensified the feelings already present."
Claudia and her husband had no idea they would ever face such a catastrophe, but when it happened, they found they had already developed the strength to weather the storm (Adapted from "Hope For the Troubled heart" by Billy Graham).
Many of us will probably never experience the enormity of the crisis that Claudia and her husband faced. But still, there will be some storms, some heartaches, some decisions, some gut-wrenching moments that have the potential for bringing us into a life-changing crisis. What will we do then? Will we be prepared to face it? Will we have the inner resources that we need? And if not, then how can we prepare ourselves for that day?
I believe that the unique experience of a fisherman who walked upon the sea of Galilee gives us some hope. Please read this inspiring passage with me.
Matthew 14:22-33 (NASB-u)
Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. [23] After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. [24] But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. [25] And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. [26] When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. [27] But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
[28] Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." [29] And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. [30] But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" [31] Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" [32] When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. [33] And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God’s Son!"
What an incredible story! And what an awesome demonstration of the power and compassion of Jesus Christ. I’m convinced that if we want to have the resources we’ll need for a time of crisis, then each of us must make our preparations for that day. Every one of us has the ability to rise above the torrents of the winds and waves, and walk safely across the sea. But in order to do so, there are some steps that we must take--some lessons that we can learn here from a Galilean fisherman. If we desire to do more than struggle to stay afloat, we must first...
I. LISTEN:
...to Jesus’ call. Jesus said, "Come!" And Peter "got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus." Before we criticize Peter for sinking, let’s honor him for his magnificent demonstration of faith. He dared to be different. Anybody can sit in the boat and watch, but it takes a person of real faith to leave the boat and walk on the water.
Peter heard the call and he obeyed. If not for his faithful response to Jesus’ invitation to "Come," Peter would have plunged immediately beneath the waves. The very first preparation that we need is to make sure of our relationship with God, that Jesus is our Savior, and that we are walking toward Him.
What do you suppose would have happened if Peter had jumped out of the boat and started running in the opposite direction? He probably wouldn’t have made it one step! He would sunk beneath the waves and drowned in the sea. And yet, that’s exactly what many of us do when life’s thunderstorms and hurricanes start billowing up.
All too often, when crisis’s occur we withdraw from fellowship, blame God, and turn the other way. We cry out, "How could God let this happen to me!?" Many people have turned their personal struggles into a weapon against God, claiming that either God is not love or God does not even exist. Interestingly, books on the problem of pain divide neatly into two groups. The older ones, by people like Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Augustine, ungrudgingly accept pain and suffering as God’s useful agents. Modern books on pain make a sharp contrast. Their authors assume that the amount of evil and suffering in the world cannot be matched with the traditional view of a good and loving God.
When you read the two categories of books side by side, the change in tone is quite striking. It’s as if we in modern times think we have a corner on the suffering market. Do we forget that Luther and Calvin lived in a world without ether or penicillin, when life expectancy averaged thirty years? Ironically, the modern authors--who live in princely comfort, toil in climate-controlled offices, and hoard elixirs in their medicine cabinets--are the ones smoldering with rage.
Phillip Yancey, in his book Where is God When it Hurts, writes, "For [most people] the problem of pain is not a theoretical problem, a theology game of lining up all of the appropriate syllogisms. It is a problem of relationship. Many suffering people want to love God, but cannot see past their tears. They feel hurt and betrayed."
The absolute worst thing we can do in times of crisis, is to turn away from God. We will never weather the storm, if we don’t listen to Jesus’ call. Instead, we will become bitter and hardened by life--ill-tempered and unlikable.
When "the wind was contrary" and their boat was "battered by the waves," Peter was within eyesight and earshot of Jesus, but that wasn’t close enough. When fear and danger was all around, Peter wanted to be closer to his Lord. He launched out onto the sea and drew closer to Jesus. Every one of us has received an invitation similar to the one Peter responded to. Jesus has said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Jesus wants each of us to come to Him, to draw close to Him, to share His peace and comfort with us. But, we must listen and respond to His call. We must come to Jesus. It is a personal decision that each of us has to make.
But as you’ll see, answering the call does not guarantee a safe arrival. The second step that we must take if we are to walk across the seas of aggravation and anguish, is to...
II. LOOK:
...beyond the storm. Brave Peter was the only one to step out onto the water, "but seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ’Lord, save me!’" What caused Peter to sink? His faith began to waver because he took his eyes off the Lord and began to look at the circumstances around him. "Why did you doubt?" Jesus asked him. This word translated "doubt" carries the meaning of "standing uncertainly at two ways." Peter started out with great faith but ended up with little faith because he saw two ways instead of one!
Isn’t that often the problem? When storms of life are raging and the billows are tossing high, we look around us and see danger, we look within and see fear, but we forget to look up and see Jesus. We as human being suffer from spiritual short-sightedness. We have an amazing inability to see past our immediate circumstances. Whatever trials or troubles engulf us at the moment become our focal point. We forget to look beyond the dark clouds of this world to the light of Jesus Christ. We become so focused on the "here and now" we loose sight of our Lord! Our greatest dangers lie within us, not around us.
Jesus comforted His disciples, saying, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Storms will come and go--we will have tribulation--but we can take courage that Jesus is our Lord and He is in control! Understanding that may require us to change our perspective, but when we fix our eyes on Jesus we will begin to see things from His viewpoint. Warren Wiersbe writes:
My wife and I once visited a world-famous weaver and watched his men and women work on the looms. I noticed that the underside of the rugs were not very beautiful: the patterns were obscure and the loose ends dangled. "Don’t judge the worker or the work by the wrongs side," our guide told us. In the same way, we are looking at the wrong side of life; only the Lord sees the finished pattern. Let’s not judge Him or His work from what we see today. His work is not yet finished!
We have to realize and accept that this world is just temporary! Nothing here is meant to last. This is just our testing ground. When faced with sickness, death, financial crisis, marital strife, family dysfunction, or whatever else, we must realize that these dark clouds will pass. It is said that King Solomon, feeling depressed, asked his advisors to find him a ring he had seen in a dream. He said, "When I feel satisfied I’m afraid that it won’t last. And when I don’t, I am afraid my sorrow will go on forever. Find me the ring that will ease my suffering." Eventually an advisor met an old jeweler who carved into a simple gold band the Hebrew inscription "gam zeh ya’avor"--"this too shall pass." When the king received his ring and read the inscription his sorrows turned to joy and his joy to sorrows, and then both gave way to peace.
If we fixate on the problems at hand and dwell on the struggles and sorrows of this world, like Peter we will begin to sink, we’ll begin to doubt, and we’ll be swallowed up by the sea. But "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith," will enable us to walk on water (Heb 12:2). First, we must listen to Jesus’ call. Second, we must look beyond the dark clouds of this world to the light of heaven. And finally, we must...
III. LEAN:
...on the arms of Jesus. When Peter began to sink, he cried out "Lord save me!" And "Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him," from there the two of them walked together back to the boat. Even though Peter began to sink, he was not crushed by the waves because he knew that he could lean on Jesus. If Jesus says, "Come," then we can trust in Him to see us through. Whatever He starts, He finishes. We may fail along the way, but in the end, God will succeed. Jesus and Peter walked on the water together and returned to the ship.
The Bible says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you" (Isaiah 43:2). Some of the most encouraging word ever set to music were written by A. Hoffman in 1887:
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning on Jesus, Leaning on Jesus,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning on Jesus, Leaning on Jesus,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Many of you may be familiar with the poem by Mary Stevenson, Footprints in the Sand:
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was
walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the
sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he
noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one
belonging to him, and the other to the Lord. When
the last scene of his life flashed before him, he
looked back at the footprints in the sand. He
noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed
that it happened at the very lowest and saddest
times in his life. This really bothered him and he
questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, You said that
once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all
the way. But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life, there is only one set
of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed
you most you would leave me." The Lord replied,
"My son, My precious child, I love you and I would
never leave you. During your times of trial and
suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it
was then that I Carried You."
What a blessing that at the most terrible and trying times, we can lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus. When nothing else can help, His love will lift us up. If we will carry our cross, He will carry us. The Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. [6] In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5). In moments of heartache or hurt, we can trust in Him to see us through. He will give us the strength and wisdom we need to overcome. The Bible say, "in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).
Conclusion:
This experience of Peter and the rest of the apostles in the storm can be an encouragement to us when go through the storms of life. When we find ourselves in the storm, we can...
Listen to Jesus’ call, making sure of our relationship with the Lord.
Look beyond our present circumstances, realizing that this world and the troubles therein are only temporary.
Lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus, who will always see us through.
Peter’s experience turned out to be a blessing to the other disciples as well as himself. When they saw the power of Jesus Christ, in conquering and calming the storm, they could only fall down and worship Him. When Jesus calmed the first storm, the disciples were amazed and said, "What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" (Matt. 8:27). But now their understanding was clear: "And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ’You are certainly God’s Son!’"
Invitation:
Do you need help to look beyond the struggles of this world? Are you already sinking deep in sin? Do you need a Savior to lean upon and to see you through? It all begins by obeying His call! Maybe you are ready to listen to Jesus’ call, to respond to His invitation, and begin a relationship with Him by being plunged beneath the waters of baptism. If that is the situation for you, then we offer the invitation of Jesus Himself. He stands ready to receive you with outstretched arms--ready to lift you out of the angry waves, tenderly calling your name. He’s the Master of the sea and He your Savior wants to be! If you are subject to the invitation, please "Come!"
