Walking On The Word! Series

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?