Jesus Walks on the Water

SERMON TITLE: JESUS WALKS ON THE WATER

TEXT: MATTHEW 14:22-33

Story selected by Elise Mateo.

Read and Pray

1. Prayer Precedes Power

Matthew 14:23 NASB95

After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

The fourth watch would have been between 3-6 AM. The disciples had been battling the storm for at least nine hours and Jesus was likely praying most of that time.

The Bible is full of examples that teach us to pray before we act.

When are you praying for God’s help?

Our nature is to set a goal or make a decision and then ask God to bless it, but the example Jesus gives us is to ask God for wisdom and to wait on Him to move first before we make decisions.

2. Fear is the Enemy of Faith

The disciples are so bewildered by seeing a man walking on the stormy sea while they are fighting for their lives that they can’t believe their eyes. The word translated “ghost” also refers to something a person would see in a dream or a vision.

In verse 27 Jesus tells them to not be afraid and identifies Himself as “I am who I am.”

Perhaps the disciples were thinking of what Job said in Job 9:8…

Job 9:8 NASB95

Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea;

The weather around seas and oceans in ancient times was viewed as uncontrollable by most people, since storms could come seemingly out of nowhere at any time. In the mind of a Jewish fisherman, the only one who could control the weather at sea is God Himself. The disciples’ confession that Jesus is the Son of God based on His control of the sea is also a confession that Jesus IS God.

When the storm started raging, the disciples forgot that Jesus had sent them to the other side of the sea and that He alone could guarantee their safety.

The disciples used their great skills and experience to keep the boat in one piece and ride out the storm, but the stress and confusion left them exhausted because they believed that their only chance of survival was in their own abilities.

What is causing fear in your life today?

If you are turning to physical strength, mental sharpness, or financial security to protect you from what you fear, you will end up confused, exhausted, and faithless like the disciples. Everything this world offers cannot bring lasting peace or security; only Jesus can.

Peter’s example gives us a recipe for anxiety and depression. He took a step out of the boat and walked on water with Jesus because his focus was on Jesus. Peter believed that if Jesus said Peter could walk on water then Peter could walk on water. Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the storm and he began to sink.

When we stop walking according to what Jesus says we can do and focus on our circumstances, we will begin to sink into depression and anxiety.

The Christian message is not that Jesus always calms the storms in our lives, but that we can be totally secure in the midst of a storm because we are walking with Christ.

3. Closeness Brings Clarity

The disciples didn’t recognize Jesus or see what He was doing when He was far away.

Peter didn’t ask to walk out to Jesus until he was close enough to see what Jesus was doing.

The closer we are to others, the more clearly we see them as they are.

If I don’t spend time with someone for a while, I become deceived about who that person really is and what they think about me.

Whether this is your first time visiting us this morning or whether you are a committed member of this church, if you have it in your mind that the brothers and sisters in this room despise you or judge you, you probably aren’t close enough to them. The Devil would love nothing more than for us to claim to be Christians and keep each other at a distance, since our love for one another is how Jesus said the world would recognize that we are really His disciples.

In a few moments, we will sit together at the Lord’s Table and share a meal, showing that we are truly family and that we are serious about being close to Jesus and close to His people.

One reason we don’t recognize God answering our prayers or working in our lives is because we are too far away to see what He is doing.

Jesus didn’t call Peter out on the water until He was close enough to save him when he began to sink.

Perhaps today you are not following Jesus and you think that you have to get your life together before He will accept you. I have good news for you:

The same Jesus who saved Peter when he reached out is the same Jesus who will save you right now if you reach out to Him!

You could be saved right now by taking a moment to speak to God in your heart and tell Him that you know you are a sinner and that you are drowning like Peter.

Tell God that you are reaching out for Him and ask Him to forgive you of your sins.

Thank Him that the guilt, shame, and punishment you deserve was put on Jesus when He died on the cross and that because of Jesus you are clean and loved by Him.

Romans 10:8–13 NASB95

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”