Getting Out of The Boat (2)

Introduction

Sometimes we have to step out of the boat in order to get closer to Christ. Stepping out of the boat can be the difference between sinking and surviving. Stepping out of the boat means trusting the Savior and leaving the ship. Many of us, myself included, have missed out on experiencing God doing mighty things in our lives because we didn’t trust him enough to get out of the boat. I know what you’re thinking. What person in their right mind would leave the safety and the security of the ship to try and walk on the sea? I am persuaded that it is the person with a mind made up to get closer to Jesus, and enough faith to trust him.

We don’t really know why Peter desired to get out of the boat. At best all we can do is what we always do, speculate. Perhaps Peter realized that his chances of survival were greater outside the ship than they were inside the ship. That wouldn’t have made much sense to the logical mind. Because a ship is designed to be a vessel to carry it’s cargo safely across the sea, even in the midst of a strong winds and rough waves. Why would he leave the very thing that was designed to protect him from the sea, and step out onto the sea unprotected? Even from a spiritual perspective it doesn’t make sense if Peter really trusted God, right? After all it was Jesus himself who put them in the ship as we see in verse 22:

Matthew 14:22 ESV

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.

Why would he want to leave the place where Jesus put him? We can’t say exactly what Peter’s motivation was when it comes to leaving the boat. But what we do know is that he was not stepping out of the boat or onto the sea, if Christ was not on the Sea. I don’t know why he wanted out of the boat. I just know that it took faith for him to step out on the sea. Every step we take in life must be under that same condition Peter stated in his prayer, “Lord if it’s you....” . If we are ever going to experience what it feels like to stand on the sea, then we have to have enough faith to step out of the boat.

We have not been able to witness what the Lord can do because we have not trusted him enough to step out of the boat. The Lord has been telling us to come for a long time now but we’re afraid to leave the boat. We say we want a closer relationship with Jesus but we won’t get out of the boat. We claim to be tired of the boat or the situation we are in, but we won’t step out of it. Many of us want God to use us in a greater way, but we wont’ get out of the boat. God can’t enable you to walk on the sea until you get out of the ship. Less I cause someone to drown allow me to say this: Don’t get out of the boat unless the Lord bids you to come. Sometimes we are stuck in the boat because we either don’t know the Lord is trying to get us out, or we don’t know what will happen once we take that step. This scene of Peter stepping out on the Sea with Christ teaches us a few practical lessons about trusting God in the storm and on the sea.

I. Confusion

We have to be able to exercise faith in the midst of confusion. Unfortunately, when we are put in a position where we must decide between staying comfortable where we are and stepping out on faith the answer never seems clear. There always seems to be some circumstances or conditions clouding the picture. “ I think the Lord is showing me something, but I’m not sure”. “ I think the Lord is telling me something , but I’m not sure.” Either there is so much noise around you that you can’t discern his voice, or so many things in front of you that you can’t see his face. It may be the winds of life howling so loudly that you can’t hear his voice, or the waves of life have become so high that you can’t see his face. Bad conditions have a way of causing confusion.

Peter and the rest of the disciples found themselves in a a similar situation. Verse 24 describes the condition the disciples found themselves in.

Matthew 14:24 ESV

24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.

The disciples found themselves in a boat separated from the shore and their Savior. They were being battered by the winds. The same winds that they needed in order to propel them forward in the sea, were working against them to make their journey difficult. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt separated from God and everything seemed to be working against you? The disciples found themselves in the middle of a lot of confusion. Sometimes our circumstances can have a major affect on our ability to see Christ clearly. Things start going against us, it makes it harder to see him. WE get rejected, it makes it harder to hear him. Our circumstances have a way of causing so much confusion that he can show up in our situation and we won’t recognize who he is.

The text says, “But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It’s a Ghost” and they “cried out in fear”. The waves, the storms, the winds, and their distance from Jesus made it impossible for them to see Jesus. Confusion can distort your view and make it hard for you to decide whether Jesus is speaking or not. Before we step out of the boat we have to be clear that Christ is on the Sea. How can I be sure that it is Jesus on the sea and not just my imagination?

II. Communication

The only way to combat confusion is through communication. Because of their circumstances, they were unable to see Christ clearly. The disciples had mistaken him for a ghost. But in an effort to comfort them notice what Jesus does. He communicates with them. Notice the dialog, The disciples say, “It’s a ghost”. Jesus says, “It is I; do not be afraid”. All of this is going on but I want you to pay attention to something very important. Before Peter steps out of the boat and onto the sea, he communicates with Jesus. What Peter really does in that moment is say a prayer. Peter prays, “Lord if its you, command me to come to you on the water”. (v. 28) Prayer is simply communication with God. We communicate to God through prayer. It’s important that Peter prayed prior to leaving the boat for two reasons. First, Peter needed to clear up the confusion and be sure that it was Jesus. Secondly, Peter made sure that Jesus had given him permission to come. When it becomes difficult to determine whether or not we should stay in the boat or step out on faith, the first thing we should do is pray. Communication is the cure for confusion, and prayer means communicating with God and waiting on God to provide clarity. Never step out of the boat until you’ve prayed.

Peter gives us a model of prayer that should precede stepping into dangerous waters. We learn first from this prayer to seek confirmation that our desires are of God. In other words, you need to make sure the Lord is in it before you get in it. Peter says in the first clause of his prayer: “Lord if it’s you”. That statement struck me when I read it because there have been too many times in my life that I wanted to do something and before I knew it I was knee deep in it and had not stopped and asked the Lord if it was him. Peter wasn’t sure if it was Jesus or if it was a ghost. There was some confusion, so he did what we should always do, pray. He prayed for the Lord to reveal himself in the midst of the situation. Peter begins this prayer the same way we should begin our prayers when we need clarity. Lord if it’s you allow me to step into this new job. Lord if it’s you allow me to step out of my comfort zone and take on more responsibility in the church. Lord if it’s you permit me to step into whatever it is that you have for me. We must learn to pray more ‘Lord if it’s you’ prayer’s. Confused and surrounded by chaos Peter needed to know that he was making a decision that would bring him closer to Christ.

Secondly, he not only prays for Christ to reveal himself in the chaos, he asks Christ for permission to come. He says, “Lord if it is you, command me to come....” Peter’s actions were dependent on Christ’s command. He didn’t say Lord if that’s you I’m getting out of this boat and walking out on the water. He says Lord if that’s you I need your blessing and your permission, before I step out of this boat. Sometimes when we pray we aren’t asking the Lord his will, we are telling him our will. Peter cries out, “Lord if that’s you on the water, and if it’s in our will for me to be on the water with you then give me the command”. If we want to find success when we step out of the boat then we must pray like Peter.

Lord if this is you

Lord if this is your will

Too often we make decisions that fail both of those requirements because we haven’t prayed. We want to take steps towards things that we know the Lord isn’t in. Or maybe we don’t know, so let me help us. We want to take steps towards things that allow us to lay on the couch all day, spend somebody else’s money in a studio all night, the Lord isn’t in that. We want to take steps toward a relationship with something or somebody that doesn’t fear the Lord and have no respect for our faith or fear of the Lord, the Lord ain’t in that. We want to make steps towards things that will take us farther from the one who saved us, the Lord ain’t in that. It doesn’t matter how much they’re willing to pay you, how well they promise to treat you, how good of a name they have, or how much it might boost your ego. If the Lord isn’t in it, you shouldn’t step in it. Peter’s prayer was about seeking the Lord’s face and the Lord’s will.

III. Confirmation/Command

After Peter prayed the Lord gave him confirmation through a command. Jesus answered Peter’s prayer not by doing something, but by saying something. Peter asked, “Lord if it’s you, command me to come to you on the water”. (v. 28) Jesus responded by saying, “come”. There was nothing spectacular or miraculous about this response. He just speaks a word. Can I tell you that you may be waiting on a spectacular answer to a spectacular prayer, but God simply wants you to obey his word. Peter was praying for a miracle. You do realize that people don’t just go to the river and start walking on water right? He prayed an extraordinary, supernatural prayer, and recieved a seemingly ordinary answer, “come”. Just because God does not answer our prayer in the manner we expect him to answer does not mean he has not answered our prayer. We may be praying, “Lord if you want me to walk through that door, open it, sprinkle bread crumbs though it, and make the door knob talk, so that I can have confirmation that this is the door you want me to walk through”. Meanwhile, the Lord is just saying, “come”. You may be stuck in the boat because you’ve prayed and prayed, you’ve asked the Lord to make it crystal clear to you that he wants you to step out of the boat. You've asked him to reveal himself to you in the situation and permit you to get out of the boat. Now you’re sitting gin the boat waiting on the Lord to part the sea before you will step out of the boat, and the Lord is simply saying, “come”. If you have prayed earnestly to the Lord and you’re looking for an answer or looking for confirmation don’t overlook the word of God. The word “come” may not seem like an extraordinary or supernatural answer, but it has supernatural power. If you have faith you don’t need miraculous signs.

Matthew 16:4 ESV

4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

Unbelievers look for signs but the born of God understand the power of God’s word. The Pharisees and Sadducee doubted that Jesus was the Son of God so they tried to test him by making him perform a sign, since they didn’t take him at his word. But if you believe that Jesus is who he says he is, his word should be enough.

We aren’t just talking about any ordinary word. We’re talking about the incarnate Word of God. The word made flesh. You shouldn't be disappointed with a word, because this is the same word that was in the beginning with God. The same word that radiated out into nothing and caused everything to become. The word was now walking on the water and he spoke a word to Peter telling him to come. We ought not be disappointed if all God gives us is a word for an answer. Because if all we’ve got is a word, then all we need is a word. One word from the Lord can make everything alright. I hear you saying, “preacher I’ve been in a lot of storms. I’ve had to make a lot of decisions. I’ve prayed a lot of prayers. Not once have I seen the Lord walking on water, nor has he called me on the phone and told me to come. Where is this word supposed to come from?” The Bible! God’s Holy word is his spoken word. It is his instruction to us. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. () You can pray without ceasing but you must not forsake to find consultation and confirmation in the word. Jesus, the word made flesh, walked out on the water, spoke a word in response to Peter’s worry and that word was all Peter needed to walk on water. Peter communicated with Christ,a nd requested clarity before stepping out on the water. Christ responded by saying “come”. Before he could actually walk on the water, he had to get out of the boat. Peter’s step out of the ship and onto the sea was a symbol of his faith in that word. As simple as that response was, this scene teaches us that if you’ve got the faith, God’s got the power. Some theologians would argue that when Peter got out of the boat he wasn’t stepping on the water, he was stepping on God’s word. Either way it took faith in action in order for him to actually experience walking on the water. Faith that what he was leaving in the ship was nothing compared to what he could experience with Christ on the water. Faith that Christ’s presence on the sea was sufficient for his safety. Faith that God’s word had the power to keep him sustained in the storms and the seas of life. Peter’s obedience to Jesus command to come was an expression of Peter’s faith in Jesus. Beloved, if we are ever going to get out of the boat we have to have faith in Jesus.

Conclusion

If you want to experience what Christ has for you on the sea, you have to be willing to get out of the boat. We’ve been stuck in the boat too long. The boat has been battered by the waves and the winds. The boat is sinking but we won’t get out. I challenge you this morning to cut through the confusion and communicate with Christ. Seek confirmation and consultation in his word. Have faith in his command and step out on the sea. If you’ve been unsure about where the Lord is leading you, pray, seek his face, and turn to his word. If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and you can feel him urging you to come, step out of the boat. If you have the faith to step out he’s got the power to make you walk out on the water. No matter how far you drift from the shore he’s got enough power to come get you, but you have to get out of the boat!