Walking In My Faith Series

A Life Built on Faith: “Walking in My Faith”

Matthew 14:22-33

A Scotsman, was taking a trip to the Holy Land, and when he got to the Sea of Galilee he was shocked when he found it would cost fifty dollars an hour to rent a boat to go out on the water.

"Hoot mon," he said, "in Scotland I could ha got a boat for about $20."

"That might be true," said the boat man, "but you have to take into account that the Sea of Galilee is water on which our Lord Himself walked."

"Well, at $50 an hour," said the Scotsman, "it’s little wonder He walked."

How much would you pay to walk where Jesus walked?

In 1999 the Israeli government authorized someone to build a transparent bridge just below the surface of the Sea of Galilee so that visitors - for a nominal cost - could walk on the water…kinda-sorta like Jesus did

The 13ft-wide, 328ft long crescent-shaped floating bridge will be positioned just below the surface, and will be able to accommodate up to 50 people and should be opened for use by August of 2000 (based on a report from the BBC news Feb. 3, 99)

What would you do if you had the chance to walk where Jesus walked?

Today we’ll look at a man who got that opportunity.

He didn’t have to pay $50 for a boat ride.

He didn’t have to buy a ticket to walk out on a transparent bridge.

He was there because Jesus sent Him there, and he got to walk on the water because Jesus called for him to do so.

Earlier, in Matthew 4:19- Jesus challenged him (and the others) with this statement: “Follow me, and I will MAKE you fishers of men.”

This was the price that Peter (and the other disciples) had to pay for their experiences. They had to allow Jesus to MAKE them into the kind of men He wanted them to be.

Now, generally – when people think about being fishermen

* they think lures and bait and fishing line and what kind of pole you need

* they think about technique

* and they think location - what part of the lake or river has the most fish

But good fishermen actually need something more.

They need the right attitude

All the technique and knowledge and gadgets will do no good if the person doesn’t have the right attitude.

Now my bride, Suzanne, has the right attitude to be good fisherman. She has what it takes to patiently sit in a boat or stand on the shore, for hours on end waiting for a fish to take the bait. We’ve been out in the rain and she would put her rain gear on and sit right there. I’m under the canopy saying, “Baby you just let me know when you get ready.”

I read what one man said about his idea of fishing, “If I want to catch a fish I’ll take my wife down to grocery store, stand in the frozen food section and have her throw me a package of fish.”

Some don’t have what it takes to be a fisherman.

They don’t have the patience… the desire… the need to go fishing.

They just don’t have the right attitude to be a good fisherman.

Peter, James and John – were real fisherman. They had worked hard at their trade on the very sea where they saw Jesus walking on the water. The problem was that they were not yet the kind of fishermen Jesus wanted them to be.

They didn’t yet have the attitude necessary to become the “fishermen” that Jesus wanted them to be.

The missing ingredient was the faith that Jesus wanted to build into their lives.

Right here on the sea of Galilee Jesus is about to teach them a lesson that will create that kind of faith in their lives.

Jesus’ intention in feed the 5000 was to stretch their faith in what He could do.

BUT now, comes an even bigger lesson.

Matthew 14:22 says that “Jesus MADE the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side...”

The disciples were on the sea of Galilee because that’s where Jesus wanted them. They faced the storm on the water because that’s where Jesus sent them.

They didn’t just HAPPEN to be there when Jesus walked out to them. They were there because Jesus intended to teach them an important lesson in faith.

According to verse 23...where did Jesus go and what did He do after He sent everyone away?

“He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.”

When Jesus spent a considerable amount of time in prayer, it was usually in preparation for a God-sized event.