Walking on Water

Recap

MIRACLES — Signs

Signs are meant to direct you.

Week 1 - Water into Wine // Came to do something new

Week 2 - Healing of the Nobleman’s Son // Believe Jesus will and behave as if he already has.

Week 3 - Healing at the Pool // Do you want to get well?

Week 4 - Feeding the 5,000 // God brings the Miracles, we bring the loaves and fish.

Me

Exhausted

Doing Operator Ugly. Very exhausted.

You’ve been there before.

- running the kids all over the county for sports

- new project at work

- emotionally exhausted b/c things aren’t going well with her

- spiritually, praying for years and the Lord still hasn’t shown up in his life

- giving for months and still no God in your finances

We

You’ve had moments like that before right? You’ve been working very hard ding what God has called you to do and yet the Lord hasn’t shown up. You’re doing the right thing.

Praying for a while an your husband still hasn’t come to faith.

Haven’t recieved he promotion, they all say you’re the girl for it but every time it comes up someone else gets it.

Your son has walked away from faith and hasn’t been back, you’ve been praying and praying, sending messages and talking with them but they still haven’t come to the Lord.

You’ve been praying over your students grades and prepping them and yet, nothing has changed.

Waiting on God while you’re working is incredibly difficult, but it’s something that many of us in this room are far too familair with.

Waiting while working is where many of us begin asking questions,

God, where are you?

Lord I am even doing the thing you’ve called me to do, but yet I’m exhuasted. I am so tired Lord.

- called me to this job but I don’t think I have the skillset

- called me to this marriage, but yet I we’re losing it

- I’ve been caring for mom for a while and I’m exhausted

- lost mom, and dealing with the funeral and all associated with it and I’m just tired

Maybe you even hit a point where you wish it would all stop or you think back to times when it wasn’t like this.

- angry with God

- walked away from faith b/c of something like that

If that’s you, or you’ve ever dealt with something like that then I’m glad you’re here today.

B/c you aren’t the only one.

Transition: The followers of Jesus had a moment just like that, they where tired and needed some help.

Recap and sumary.

God

Immediately following the feeding of the 5k. Jesus went up to the mountain to pray.

John 6:16–17 (NIV)

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.

In Matthew’s account it says that Jesus made them get into the boat and he dismissed the crowd. It seems quite clear that Jesus devised a plan to get away from the crowd.

John 6:18 (NIV)

A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.

You need to get the image correct. Fisherman, they were used to the wind and the waves.

John 6:18–19 (NIV)

A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles...

They are exhausted b/c they’ve been working against the elements for hours now. Luke account said they were straining, the closest that I’ve ever gotten to this was paddling a kayak.

Went with a group of boy scouts and they have the small boats, they have no regard for safety either. We are paddling around this little sound and I noticed a few of the kids are flying around the water and I worked to keep up with 4 of them… needless to say I was exhausted. This is how the disciples feel right now. They’re exhausted b/c the wind and the waves are against them..

Let me say it this way… the circumstances were against them.

Have you ever felt like the circumstances are against you? Like this couldn’t have gone any worse. I didn’t cause this, it just happened. Like the disciples they had nothing to do with this storm yet they are facing. Your doing the right thing and then boom the circumstances change. In fact, Jesus sent them on this mission. You’ve been there right? Lord I feel like this is the right direction to go, you sent me here but I don’t see you in this situation and things are hard right now.

John 6:18–21 (NIV)

...When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

Of course they were afraid, they thought it was a ghost. Paint the picture here.

It is I — Translates directly to… I AM.

Where else have we heard that before? Bible nerds?

Moses, with the Lord at the burning bush, he asks who shall I say sent me? God says, tell them I AM sent you.

Here Jesus is again equating himself to God. Here’s the other part, Moses parted the Red Sea, walking through it by the power of the Lord. Here Jesus is walking on the water, above it, mastery of the chaos. Water to the people of Israel was equated with chaos. Remember in the beginning? TovuVavohum, wild and waste and the Spirit of God hovered above the water. And here Jesus is, wading into the storm and chaos of the storm, hovering above the water.

Johns direction is clear in this sign — Jesus is divine. He is King. He is God.

John 6:21 NIV

Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

Notice something, things immediately got better once Jesus showed up.

Notice something. They only got where they wanted to go with Jesus with them.

Let me pause for a minute this isn’t the point of the sermon but this is a truth…

You can’t reach the destination God has for you without him.

Application

Now, here’s what I know, you’ve had the same feeling as the disciples. Been sent out, Lord I am doing the right thing and I’m still facing this storm.

God, where are you? Are you even listening? Do you care?

He cares so much that he meets you in the storm. God meets you in the storm.

When circumstances are against you, God is close to you.

So what is your storm? What is battering you back and forth right now like the wind and waves in this story?

Here’s the final step — invite him into the boat.

The purpose of this sign was to direct us to his kingship and the truth that he rules and reigns over all things, even the chaos you’re feeling right now. Or the thing you’re walking through right now.

Since he’s the king and has control of everything…invite him into the boat.

None believer — invitation.

Communion