As it is our practice to preach through the Bible verse by verse, I rarely have much opportunity to preach messages that are of a more instructional or motivational nature. Many pastors tend to preach nothing but motivational type of messages, like “How to have your best life now.” Or “You are very powerful.” Or “How to find success in life.” Those are actual messages from pastors that purvey the prosperity gospel, which is very popular.
And Lord knows, I would like to be popular. So as I prepared for todays sermon, I couldn’t help myself. I thought of a great title for a motivational message, and I figured if I contort the scriptures enough, I think I can find four points and a poem to support it. The title I have chosen for todays message is, “How to walk on water.” After all, Jesus did it. Even Peter did it for a few seconds. And so, I figured that we should be able to find four steps to be successful at walking on water. That would be a pretty impressive thing to do, wouldn’t it? Maybe we could use that to cause people to become believers.
I have the same email I have used for at least 25 years. It’s with AOL. That tells you how old my email is. It’s from the old dial up days, when you would hear, “you’ve got mail!” They made a movie about it. My email address is roywow@aol.com. it stands for Roy walks on water. There were two reasons I picked that. One was that I surfed, and I wanted to make a reference to surfing, ie, walks on water. Secondly, it was a veiled reference to the Apostle Peter, who almost drowned while attempting to walk on water. I meant it as a reference to me walking by faith. So now everyone should be able to remember my email. I can’t wait to see what kind of mail I get after this revelation.
You know, once I was talking to some surfer about the last days, who said that there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days that will enable us that are Christians to do miraculous things, and he seemed to think that included walking on water. He was especially excited about that. That seemed like a big deal to him. And so, I suppose it might be something of interest to many Christians. Perhaps that’s what the world needs in order to believe, to see Christians walking on water.
So today I want to examine this text and see if we can find some steps to make this dream of walking on water a reality for all of us. Now I hope you realize that I am being sarcastic this morning. But there is an element of truth in what I am saying. However, I don’t intend on contorting the scriptures in order to prove my title. What I will say at the outset though, is that I intend to use walking on water as a metaphor for walking by faith, or walking in the Spirit. And I think I can find support for that by referring to Jesus’s statement to Peter when he attempted to walk on water. Jesus said to Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Jesus attributes the ability to walk on water to a walk of faith.
So to walk on water is to walk by faith, or walk in the Spirit. It is the means by which we can by the grace of God walk through the storms of life, walk through difficulties which the devil may raise against us, and accomplish God’s will through the power of the Holy Spirit. So that is what I think we can learn from this story, how we are to walk in the power of the Spirt, how we are to walk by faith.
We find this instruction to walk by the Spirit, or walk by faith, again and again in scripture. For instance, Romans 8:4 says, “so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” And in Gal 5:16, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Galatians 5: 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. And 2Cor. 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight—“ The question is, how do we do that in practical ways? Is it just having a certain mindset, or having a spiritual attitude, or hearing some still small voice in your head? How do we walk in the Spirit, or walk by faith? Well I believe this passage will give us some steps that we can follow so that we may have that experience.
You all are familiar with the story, I’m sure. Jesus sends the disciples away after the feeding of the 5000 or 15000, if you include women and children. And He sends them away on a boat to the other side of the Lake, which is about a 5 mile trip. In the meantime, Jesus disperses the crowd and goes away by Himself to the mountain to pray.
We find that in vs 45 “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of [Him] to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.”
The first step to walking on water is found in the disciple’s obedience. People love to harp on the disciples shortcomings. I can’t ever remember hearing a message about Peter walking on water without hearing a lot of disparaging remarks about Peter and also the other disciples. They make fun of Peter because got scared and fell in the water. And then they poke fun at the rest of the disciples because they were too afraid to get out of the boat. And so all kinds of messages have been written that basically disparage the disciples.
But I don’t intend to do that. I want to commend the fact that when Jesus told them to do something, they did it. Earlier that day they had rowed their boat across the Sea of Galilee before the feeding of the 5000. They had listened to Jesus preach all day. Then they had served up to 15000 people dinner. And then Jesus made them go pick up all the leftovers. Now it’s evening, and I’m sure they would have liked to find a nice spot to curl up and go to sleep, and instead Jesus says get back in the boat and row back over to the other side of the Sea.
But they don’t complain. They don’t mutiny. They don’t question His command. They don’t ask why. They don’t say, “OK, we will. Just not right now.” That’s what we often say to the Lord’s commands, don’t we? “Yes Lord, but I’m busy right now.. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.” No, step number one to walking on water is being obedient to the Lord’s commands. Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” I”m not going to take the time to list all the commandments that we are given in the New Testament. But I urge you to give heed to them as you study the scriptures. To walk in the Spirit is to be obedient to the Spirit. There isn’t always some emotional, ecstatic experience that marks walking in the Spirit. It’s sometimes difficult. It’s sometimes not that exciting. It sometimes feels like duty, rather than the pursuit of your personal liberty and something that you enjoy.
The disciples weren’t overjoyed, I’m sure, at the prospect of rowing their boat again. I don’t think they were singing the popular KLOVE song, “Row row row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream.” I”m sorry to have to break this to you, but doing the will of God is not always a merry, dreamlike experience. Sometimes being obedient, doing what is right, it not always exciting or even fun. But to walk by faith you must first be walking in obedience.
The second step to successfully walking on water is found in what Jesus does. He goes to the mountain by Himself to pray. Of all the people that probably didn’t need to spend a lot of time in prayer, you would think it would be Jesus. And yet He prioritizes prayer above His much needed rest. He prioritizes prayer above comfort. He prioritizes prayer above fellowship.
I said something to the men yesterday at the Men’s Prayer Breakfast about this. And what I said was that one’s prayer life is a barometer for how you’re doing spiritually. Prayer is spiritual communication with God who is Spirit. And I believe if you examine how much time you spend in prayer each day, you will get a pretty good reading on where you are spiritually.
You know, Paul said we are to pray without ceasing. So I try to do that by praying little bullet prayers in my mind or under my breath as I go throughout the day. I think that’s good. And I’m sure that Jesus did that much more often than I do. But that’s not enough for Jesus. He set aside hours of uninterrupted communion with the Father on a regular basis. This isn’t the first time nor the last time we see Jesus do this. And I’m sure He did it much more often than it’s recorded.
You cannot walk in the Spirit if you aren’t communicating in the Spirit. And I don’t mean speaking in tongues either. I mean profitable speech, that is intelligent, and understandable. Where you are pouring out your heart to the Lord and He is speaking to your heart in return. You can’t see the Spirit. So how do you know you’re walking in the Spirt unless you are speaking to Him. Prayer is not an option if you want to walk on water. It’s not negotiable. It’s mandatory practice.
Now there are a couple of interesting things that occurred as the disciples were being obedient. Notice vs 47, “When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them.”
First of all, when it was evening means that it was late at night. Mark says that Jesus came to them about the fourth watch of the night. That’s between 3am and 6am. That means that the disciples have been rowing their boat against the wind for about 9 hours. And they had only progressed about 3 miles.
You know, I thought that the prosperity preachers told us that when you say yes to Jesus everything is going to start working out for you. I thought that when you are serving the Lord there’s always fair wind and following seas. The sun is always shining. Life is but a dream. But I don’t want you to miss this. The disciples were being obedient, they were doing what the Lord told them to do, and this tremendous storm comes out of nowhere and they end up going nowhere for 9 hours. Actually, I think we can say that Jesus deliberately sent them into a storm, knowing what was ahead of them. And I’ll give the disciples another commendation for this; they didn’t turn around and go back to where they started. They didn’t give up. They kept rowing into the wind for 9 hours.
I think we can add another step to the process of walking on water from the disciples example. And that is perseverance. Perseverance means persistence in doing something despite difficulty. Paul said in Rom 5:3-5 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
James describes it as endurance. Means pretty much the same thing as perseverance. He said in James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” One old time evangelist said it this way, “Do right until the stars fall.” Be obedient to God’s will and persevere in it even when it’s difficult and you don’t seem to be making any headway.
Notice another interesting thing in this passage. Mark says Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars. Wait a minute. It’s night time. There is a storm. The disciples are three miles from land. How does that work? It works because Jesus Christ is LORD. He is omnipotent, all knowing, all seeing God in human flesh. And in His deity He sees everything. And as we talked about last week, He is the shepherd of His sheep. He is watching over the disciples as they rowed in the darkness against the wind. God sees us always. He constantly is aware of all that pertains to us. If we are His children, then we can count on the fact that He is always on the job.
Last Wednesday at our Bonfire Bible study, we looked at this principle in Psalm 121. I don’t have time to read the whole Psalm, but it speaks to this principle. I particularly like the part that says, Psalm 121:2-4 “My help [comes] from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.”
In the middle of the storm, in the middle of the night, the Lord Jesus comes to them walking on the water. Jesus came to help them. Psalm 54:4 says, “Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul.” Because the disciples were doing what He told them to do, because He sent them into the storm, because He saw them straining at the oars, because He is their keeper, He came to them. The Lord came to them walking on the water.
Listen, the fact that the Lord can walk on water should not be surprising. Psalm 77:19 says “Your way was in the sea And Your paths in the mighty waters, And Your footprints may not be known.” William Cowper wrote a hymn in 1774 which has the famous line, “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.”
Jesus walks on the water, not just a calm smooth expanse of water, but walking upon the rising and falling of large crashing waves. He’s probably going up one swell and then down the other side, His robe billowing behind him. He’s probably soaked to the skin by the spray off the waves. No wonder that the disciples think it’s a ghost.
Vs49 “But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, "Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”
So another key then we can learn so that we may walk on water, is not only that the Lord is watching us, but that the Lord is near. Psalm 145:18 “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” The Lord gives us courage so that we are not afraid. Listen, we can have courage, we can not fear when we go through the storms, because the Lord is with us. If we did not have the Lord with us, then it makes perfect sense to be afraid. I see rookie surfers sometimes going out after a big storm and the waves are really big, and they should be afraid to go out. But they are naive, they don’t know any better. There is such a thing as a healthy fear. It’s prudent to be fearful of some things. But as Phil. 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” If I am doing the will of God, He will give me the strength to do it, and He will help me to do it.
And that segues into another aspect of the story that Mark has left out. According to many Bible scholars, Mark was the apprentice so to speak to Peter. And perhaps there is some desire on Mark’s part to protect Peter from criticism, which may be why he leaves this part out. But Matthew fills in the missing pieces by giving us the story of Peter’s attempt to walk on water.
It’s found in Matt. 14:28-31 Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Notice first that Peter doesn’t demand that Christ give him the power to walk on water. He says Lord, command me to come to you on the water. If it’s the Lord’s will, then you can walk on water. We know its the Lord’s will that we walk in the Spirit, that we walk by faith. We know that the Lord has commanded us to do that. And so, like Peter, we can step out of the boat with courage, without fear.
And we should also notice that Matthew says Peter walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Many people want to mock Peter because he started sinking. But I think he deserves a lot of credit to have taken at least a few steps. Even one step on top of the water is a miracle. So Peter deserves a lot of credit for his faith.
But I can’t help but question though Peter’s motivation. I wonder why he wanted to walk on the water. And maybe the answer to that question is the reason Peter might have been embarrassed by the whole episode. Perhaps that’s what Jesus is alluding to when He says, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Because faith is not believing in yourself, faith is faith in Christ, that He will sustain you. Doubt is believing in yourself that you are somehow sufficiently skilled or superior or something other than being totally dependent upon the Lord.
So I question Peter’s motivation, because I can’t help but think that Peter wanted to out bravado the other apostles. Or he wanted to show off his supernatural ability. I really can’t imagine that he just wanted to be close to Jesus. Though I think Jesus was gracious enough to overlook Peter’s pride and allow him to come to him. Or maybe Jesus wanted to use it as a lesson for Peter.
The Scripture says “Pride goes before a fall.” When you’re locked eyes with Jesus and taking each step on the water as He is sustaining you, then you can walk on water. But when you look back at the boys on the boat and wave, then you’ve taken your eyes off Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and in that moment of pride, you start to go under. I imagine it was just like walking off a dock. One minute he’s looking at Jesus and taking a gingerly step and then two and then three on top of the water, and then the next second he looks back to wave to his friends in the boat, and he immediately sinks like a rock. No pun intended.
And when he comes back to the surface, he calls out “Lord save me!” Now that’s an effective prayer. Short and to the point. You don’t gain favor with the Lord because of long, flowery prayers. Just talk to the Lord like you would talk to a friend. And that’s the kind of prayer the Lord answers.
Notice, the Lord reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. The Lord is able to save. The Lord is ready to save all who call upon Him. Isa 59:1 says, “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.” When the Lord took Peter by the hand, they both walked on water and came to the boat. And that’s another step for us in walking on water. When the Lord holds our hand, we can walk on water. We need to be walking so close to the Lord that He is able to hold our hand. When He holds us, we have no fear of falling. We have no fear of drowning. We have no fear of the storm.
Vs51 “Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the [incident of] the loaves, but their heart was hardened.”
John adds that when they got into the boat, not only did the wind stop, but they were immediately at the land. No wonder the disciples were astonished. This is just a full on display of God’s power through Jesus. Mark says that they were astonished because their heart was hardened and they hadn’t learned from Jesus feeding the multitude that He was fully God and fully man. That the creative power of God was in Christ Jesus. That He was the Creator God.
Now they have been given another glimpse of HIs glory. And this time they fully believed in who He was. And so Matthew adds in his account in Matt. 14:33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!” Now they understand who Jesus is more completely. And Jesus accepts their worship.
So to wrap it up then, I think we have learned that we can walk on water, or walk by faith, or walk in the Spirit when we follow certain principles given here in this story. First we need to walk in obedience. If we are doing what God said, then we are walking in the Spirit. Second, we need to pray as if our life depended upon it. Because it does. Third, we need to persevere in doing what is right, even in difficulty. Fourth, we need to recognize that Jesus is near. Fifth we need to know that Christ has commanded us to walk in the Spirit, to walk in faith. And then we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He will sustain us, and keep us from falling. Then we need to call upon the Lord, and He will save us, He will help us. And finally we need to walk closely with Jesus, holding onto His hand.
The Lord doesn’t want us to walk by sight. He wants us to walk by faith. He wants us to walk by the Spirit, so that we don’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh. He wants us to walk on water in the midst of the storms, in the midst of the trials, knowing that He is watching over us and will take care of us as we are obedient to His will. Walking on water is not a magic trick that we do to impress our friends. But it’s the only way we get through this world without falling. It’s the only way we do the will of God. The Lord will help us, and sustain us, as we walk with Him and do His will.
No comments:
Post a Comment