Do You Want To Walk on Water?
Matthew 14:22-33
Intro:
A. Their
Directive – Get in and go!
B.
Their Destination – unto the other side
C. Their
Difficulties – vs. 24 But the ship was in the midst of the sea, tossed with
waves for the wind was contrary
No matter how many times I read this story, or hear it
preached, I still am amazed at Peter. I try to figure out what he was thinking.
I do my best to put myself in his place and understand what exactly was going
through his mind.
I. Peter’s Realization – walking on water was a
possibility
A. Something
he’d never thought possible was possible
There is nothing that will jolt a person any more than
realizing that what they thought was impossible is not.
B. Something
he was as knowledgeable of as anybody alive was not at all what he thought it
was.
Peter grew up and worked on that sea.
He was a professional fisherman.
He’d spent thousands of hours on that water.
If there was anybody that was an expert on the Sea of
Galilee, it was Peter.
Yet, that night, he realized that there was a whole lot more
about that Sea than he ever imagined.
His years of experience and his knowledge of that Sea went
out the window.
He was like a little boy – seeing something for the first
time.
God has a way of humbling us and showing us a way where
there was no way.
One of the biggest failures of Christians today is their
inability to acknowledge that THEY DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING!
Preconceived ideas are one of the most effective lies of
Satan.
EXAMPLE:
·
Your marriage is doomed.
·
You cannot raise well behaved, godly, children.
·
You cannot lead a sinner to Christ.
·
You cannot stand up against the crowd.
·
You cannot afford to tithe.
·
You cannot be a leader.
·
You cannot make a difference.
·
You cannot be an overcomer.
·
You cannot – you cannot – IT CAN’T BE DONE!!!
NOTE: It CAN be
done – it’s being done. It has been done by others. With God all things are
possible!
That night on the sea, Peter the expert became Peter the
student. He learned something new!
II. Peter’s
Request – bid me come unto thee on the water
A. It
was a Sincere Request – Lord, if it be thou… He only wanted to do it if God
was in it.
B. It
was a Specific Request – on the water. He wasn’t satisfied just swimming to
Jesus.
C. It
was a Satisfied Request – vs. 29 And he said, Come…”
I’ve heard preachers preach that Peter got out of the will
of God. That is absolutely impossible!
Jesus said “Come”.
Jesus didn’t say “Stay!”.
III. Peter’s Risk
– And when Peter was come down out of the ship…
A. In
spite of the Seriousness of the Storm – the waves, the wind
B. In
spite of the Security of the Ship– staying on the boat was his safest
option
I can’t help but believe that the other disciples were
begging him to stay on the ship.
They were telling him how foolish he was to want to walk on
water.
They were reminding him of the many people that had drowned
in that sea.
They were telling him how deep that Sea was. (141 feet deep)
(They were in the middle of it vs. 21)
C. In
spite of the Suggestions of his Senses – his getting out of the boat
violated every sense in his body
Sight, hearing, smelling, taste, and touch – all five senses
were telling him to STAY ON THE SHIP!
But Peter took the risk.
IV. Peter’s Reality
– vs. 29 …and he walked on the water…
Say what you want to – Peter walked on the water.
Peter defied all human logic.
Peter defied all laws of nature.
Peter defied all odds.
PETER WALKED ON WATER.
V. Peter’s Rescue
·
Distractions interfered with his Delight
·
Fear of the wind intruded on his Faith in the
Word. (Jesus had said Come!)
·
Terror robbed him of the thrill.
He allowed the VERY SAME elements that kept the others on
the boat, to make him sink.
The very same elements that his senses overcame to enable
him to walk on water is what pulled him down.
NOTICE – as he was BEGINNING TO SINK, he cried, Lord save
me.
He asked God for help IMMEDIATELY.
He didn’t make excuses.
He didn’t blame God.
He didn’t blame the others.
He didn’t get proud of the success he’d just experienced.
He asked for help immediately.
God reached out, took his hand and helped him back to the
boat.
I do not believe that Jesus drug him through the water.
Conclusion:
I want to ask you just one question: Do you want to walk on water?
Are you interested at all in God doing the impossible in
your life?
Are you prepared to admit this morning that you don’t know
it all, and that God might want to show you something new?
