Untitled Sermon (3)

The Saviour On The Sea - Sign 5

Sign 5: Jesus Walks on Water -  Jn 6:16–21 ESV

 ‘16When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.’

PRAY

Let’s got back to verse 16 to 18. and going to read from the Tree of Life Version.

John 6:16-18 TLV  16 ‘Now when evening came, Yeshua’s disciples went down to the sea. 17 Getting into a boat, they set out to cross the sea toward Capernaum. By now it had become dark, and still Yeshua had not come to them. 18 A great wind began to blow, stirring up the sea.’  

As I was preparing this message, we, as a family were waiting for victory over something we were believing for in our lives. The Holy Spirit had told me that it had already happened in the spirit, it had solidified in the Spirit, but we hadn’t seen it manifest in the natural yet. With natural eyes it might have seemed that “By now it had become dark, and still, Yeshua had not come. But I write by faith that by the time I share this message I will have seen The Saviour Walking On The Sea.

What about you? What Storms are you facing today?

Maybe you're believing for someone in your family to come to Christ. Maybe you’re believing for healing for you, or someone else, maybe you’re believing for provision. 

Whatever it is, I want to tell you that Jesus has authority over anything that you might be going through, whether is it, natural or supernatural. Jesus has Power & Authority over ALL creation, that means nature and spirits. Jesus wasn’t afraid of the storm, the Bible says He walked on the water. It doesn’t say: He ran in case the winds or the waves overpowered Him. He walked, He was in control of the situation, He knew everything must bow down to Him. 

We are called to action even in the middle of the storm.

When you’re in a storm and things start to get rough and chaotic around you, does it feel like Jesus hasn’t come into the storm yet? What did He tell you to do?  We are called to action even in the middle of the storm.

Matthew 14:22AMP ‘Immediately  He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee], while He sent the crowds away.’

God also gave His people an action when He displayed His authority over the waters in Exodus 14 when He parted the Red Sea.

Exodus 14:15 ESV The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward’. 

When God started to speak to me about the assignment he had for me, he told me I couldn’t start or step into the assignment until my husband sanctified his life.

God was already dealing with about sanctification and being set apart. But because I’m married anything God calls me into it involves my husband, and anything God calls my husband into it involves me, our son too, but when you get married 2 become 1, so husbands and wives walk as one.

 God prompted me to pray for my husband, I was really excited, this is going to be great my husband is going to be serious about Jesus like I am, and by serious I mean intense like me, I started praying. 

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and I wasn’t seeing any improvement, in fact sometimes it would seem that instead of getting closer to God he was going further away, and I was getting tired. I started with so much strength and energy and now after months of praying and apparent no result, I told God, God I’m tired, I want to give up. It seemed like the miracle wasn’t going to happen, it seemed like I wasn’t going to see the red sea part or see the Saviour walking on the water towards me.

I like to listen to sermon in the car, and watch messages at home, and God used 2 different preachers to speak to me. One said: when it comes to praying for your family: never, never, never, never, never  give up. And another mentioned that certain things are only broken with a 40 day fast because Jesus fasted for 40 days. So I did both, I continued to pray and went on a 40 day fast, it was difficult I had to put my feelings and frustration aside, daily. But the miracle happened, my husband started to dedicate all areas of his life to the Lord.

Now this didn’t happen because of anything I did, God already had a plan, He just needed someone to believe and intercede for my husband. When He prompted me to pray, The Saviour was already walking on the sea, I just hadn’t seen Him yet.

Mark 6:48 ESV ‘And He saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them,’

They couldn’t see Jesus, but Jesus never lost sight of them, He was watching, Jesus saw that they were struggling so Jesus went to them.

Don’t ever allow the enemy to convince you that you are alone. The Holy Spirit is with you, Jesus sees you.

He was the one that told the disciples to get into the boat and go to the other side.

He already has a plan for you, nothing catches Him by surprise. He isn’t watching passively either He is on the move, providing, making a way for you to get to the other side. 

The storms of life can only take you out if you let it, but if you cry out to Jesus and stand firm declaring that God is sovereign and He is good, you will see the Mighty Power of The Saviour at work in your situation. Jesus the Lamb slain from the beginning, The King of Kings and The Lord of Lords fights for you. 

 Matthew 28:18 AMP Jesus himself tells us: ‘All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.’

Jesus is not afraid of your storm, He is not afraid it will get too big and He might lose control.

He can see the forces behind the storm and He has power and authority over them. 

If it is physical sickness, and you invite the Saviour in; every cell in your body must came under subjection to His authority, He has the power and the authority heal you or your loved one, how ever He choses to do it, whether it’s instant healing, through medicine or in Glory, He has Power & Authority to heal.

If it’s oppression and you invite the Saviour in, you surrender every area of your life to Him, every demon must flee, 

Matthew 8:16. ESV ‘That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.’

John 1:5 NLT  ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it’. When light walks in, darkness flees. Amen.

The Great I AM

Let's go back to John 6 verse 19 & 20.

John 6:19-20 TLV 19After they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they catch sight of Yeshua walking on the sea, approaching the boat. They were terrified! 20 But Yeshua says to them, “I am. Don’t be afraid.”

When Jesus said to them ‘I AM’, the disciples knew exactly what Jesus was saying, he was saying that He IS God. They would all have known what I AM meant. They would have learnt as children  the name God revealed to Moses when God showed His presence in the burning bush.

Exodus 3:13-14 ESV 13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

At that very moment Jesus was saying to the disciples that The Great I AM was walking on the water right in front of them. Can you imagine what that must have felt like? To see the Messiah walking on the water and have Him declare whilst walking on the water that He is God. The Great I AM that created all things and has power over creation. Creation and the elements must bow down to Him because He is the One who created them, He is the One who spoke them into existence.

John 1:1-3 AMP ‘In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. 2 He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being.’

I AM is the ever lasting name of God. Jesus was revealing to the disciples that the same God that spoke to Moses in the burning bush, The same God, that used Moses to deliver the Israelites, was now here in Person to deliver humanity from oppression and sin forever, because He is the ONLY one who could do it.

The Lamb Opens the Scroll -  Revelations 5:1-5 NLT

‘1 Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it. 4 Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. 5 But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The power and majesty of God is revealed in the person of Jesus. He is God incarnate, Jesus is the one who is able to bring healing & peace. Jesus is the one who goes with you into to the storm and brings you out on the other side.

Jesus didn’t calm the storm and then made His way to the disciples, His presence alone brings us peace in the middle of the storm, the conditions don’t have to be perfect for you to feel His peace. His presence, brings us peace.

In December 2023 we went to Brazil for a holiday, Fernando and I are from Brazil, but our son was born here and he had never been to Brazil, it was his first time so it was very exiting. Now Brazilian law is very strict when it comes to taking children out of the country. When we got to Brazil we were told that when getting out of Brazil we would have to show the authorities a Brazilian document proving that our son is our son, since he has dual citizenship, they won’t accept a British document. So when we got to my city we tried to get a copy of our son’s Brazilian birth certificate, but it turns out that he is a Brazilian citizen but he’s birth was not registered in Brazil, it was only registered at the Brazilian Consulate here in London, so there was no way for us to get a copy of his Brazilian birth certificate. It would seem that we would not be able to bring our son back to England. 

I prayed and asked God to move on our behalf and I had peace in my spirit that everything was going to be fine. As the time of our return got closer my husband started to worry, with good reason he did not want to have to come back home by himself. But to the Glory of God when we were going through Brazilian customs, they asked for his birth certificate and I told the lady we only had a picture of it, she had a chat with her superior and said that they would accept a picture this time, but next time we visit Brazil we would need the physical document. After we walked through customs my husband said wow that was so easy, I can’t believe I wasn’t able to fully enjoy our last days here because I was worried, how come you were so calm, I told him I just felt peace in my spirit about the situation.

You can have Jesus’ peace in the middle of your storm, all you have to do is to invite him into the situation. Allow your fear to turn into faith.

Faith Amid Fear

MT 14:26. ESV 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.

Whenever I read that verse it makes me smile, grown men yelling out “it’s a Ghost”, not I that would have acted any differently, but in that moment it’s like they became little boys again, they forgot who they were, they forgot who they were walking with, and fear took over them. 

The Oxford dictionary describes the word Terrified as: “cause to feel extreme fear”. They weren’t a little fearful; they were extremely fearful: they were terrified. I wonder how we act when we are fearful, do we cower? do we freeze ? do we run the other way? 

Fear is the enemy of the purposes of God, sometimes all the enemy has to do, is to hold you in fear to keep you from moving forward, to keep you from the promises of God in your life. Fear keeps us bound in our circumstances, it presents it self as a GIANT when the majority of the time, the thing we are fearing is not even real. It would keep us from the destiny God has for us. 

When you’re fearful do you take the time to be still and hear the Jesus’ voice? Fear would have our thoughts racing into horrible and unlikely scenarios, when what we actually need to do is to be still, calm our minds, so we can hear The Holy Spirit’s voice and direction.  

 When the disciples heard their master’s voice, their fear turned into faith. 

The irrational emotional flood, that took over their senses, suddenly is calm by the sound of the Saviour’s voice. 

His voice, His direction, brings us peace and certainty. When you are tempted to panic, to give up, to give in, remember what Jesus said to the disciples: It is I, don’t be afraid. 

Matthew’s account of this Miracle tells us

Mt 14:28–29 ESV 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 

When Jesus said ‘I AM. Don’t be afraid’, Peter was still, a little unsure, he said, “Lord, if it is you”, but he still stepped out in faith. We can step out in faith even when we are unsure, Lord if it is you telling me to take that job, to start that business, to give you my yes… what ever your “ Lord, if it is you” is, step out in faith. Be certain that if you are seeking Him and you step out, He will direct you, if you take a miss step He will correct it. 

Verse 30-31

Matthew 14:30–31 ESV”But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”.

Your misstep will not take you out. call out to Jesus, He will stretch out His hand to save you. The only thing that can take you out is not taking a step at all.

Matthew 14:32–33 ESV 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 

The disciples went from fear into faith, from ‘It’s a Ghost’ to ‘Truly you are the Son of God’, because they didn’t allow their fear to take hold of them and row the other way, their fear was transformed from fear into faith. 

You have to stay long enough, press on long enough, believe long enough to see your fear turn into faith. Had they rowed the other way they would have missed the amazing Miracle of Jesus walking on the water, they would have missed out on the revelation that Jesus is The Great I am, that His word commands fear to flee.

Let’s go back to John 6:21

John 6:21 ESV 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. 

When Jesus spoke to them and their FAITH was stirred, when The Great I Am revealed Himself to them, they were glad to take Him into the boat. What I love about John’s account of this miracle is that it says Immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. When we take Jesus into our boat we immediately have Victory. When we allow Jesus into our boat, the Victory is already ours, what we need to do is to remain, stand firm and watch the Victory come to pass.

WORSHIP CAN COME UP

At the start of my message I shared that when I started preparing for this message my family was waiting for victory over a promise of God in our lives. We were believing God for the purchase of our first home. Before starting the search I asked God if this was the correct time, the correct season and I had peace in my spirit about it. We had searched for a place a few years back but it came to nothing, so I asked God if this was the correct timing. We started the search, I saw the flat we now own in July 2024, we put in an offer and it was rejected. In September that year the banks changed the amount they can lend, so we went back to the sellers with an increased offer and the sellers accepted, this was on 6th of September 2024, we started the mortgage process and it took us 6 months to the date for it to be approved. 

With in that time I sought God for confirmation, have we gone for the place you have prepared us? is this the flat? and every time I would feel peace about it. But nothing was happening the bank we submitted the mortgage application with were being very difficult, they would ask for a paper work we would supply it, then they would ask for something else…within that time I kept praying about it and I received a word from two different people; one said “if you believe that He is faithful He will give the property”, another person looked at me and said “TRUST”. In between those 2 words from God, I was at home and the Holy Spirit told me it has solidified in the spirit. It has happened in the Spirit. The bank we had applied for mortgage with did not offer us enough, so we had to go to another bank and start the process again. This was at the end of Feb. On the first day of March the Holy Spirit told me ‘New Season’, the mortgage offer come through on the 6th of March and we purchased our first home.

Now why Am I sharing that? God has spoken something over you and just because it might be taking a little time or longer then you expected, it doesn’t mean that it will not come to pass, God speaks and things come into being:

Genesis 1:1-5 ESV ‘1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.’

John 1:1–3. ESV  ‘1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.’

Jesus is the word of God:

John 1:14. ESV  14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

When we trust in Jesus and we invite Him into every situation in our lives, He will bring peace, He will calm the storm, He will turn your fear into faith, and you will arrive at the land to which He has sent you to. Do you believe this Church?

Let’s stand and worship the King of Kings.