Following Jesus in Tough Times

In spite of appearances, following Jesus is never a mistake ()

Explanation: Immediately following the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, Jesus disperses the crowd and He commands His disciples to get in the boat and sent them to the other side. Instead of getting in the boat with them, Jesus went up on the mountain to pray by Himself. The 12 started out to cross the lake which at its widest is only 8 miles across. After they were some ways out, a storm rose up and the prevailing winds prevented them from making further progress

Argument: We make a serious mistake when we have the understanding that if we follow Jesus, then He will make life smoother and better for us in the here and now. Nowhere in the NT does Jesus promise His people a pain-free life with no worries or concerns. In all actuality, Jesus call His followers to take up the cross to follow Him. A call to follow Jesus is a call to die.

Argument: We make a serious mistake when we have the understanding that if we follow Jesus, then He will make life smoother and better for us in the here and now. Nowhere in the NT does Jesus promise His people a pain-free life with no worries or concerns. In all actuality, Jesus call His followers to take up the cross to follow Him. A call to follow Jesus is a call to die.

A mature Christ-follower understands the circumstances of our life are designed by Him to bring Him glory, not for our comfort. Realize Jesus knew what the 12 would encounter before He sent them out in the boat! He knew they would struggle in the storm because He was the One who allowed the storm to impact their progress.

Application: Obedience to God is the path! When you know you are doing is God’s will, then do not be dismayed by the circumstances. And keep in mind that God does things for His glory. Pray for God to use you instead of to keep you safe and comfortable.

In our darkest moments, Jesus is closer than we realize ()

Explanation: The 12 had been stalled for several hours and the night was far spent with no sign of letup in the storm. The 12 were wet, tired and discouraged. Remember, they had been taken to the remote location for R&R because they were already tired. Non stop activity is draining. At this point they were in the 4th watch (between 3am - 6am) when the human spirit is at its lowest. This is the time they observe Jesus walking on the water

Argument: The text does not give details, but it is not difficult for us to imagine what the conversation in the boat might have sounded like. At 4:00am, no one was probably saying. “let’s keep our heads up, we’re almost there!” During the hard times we tend to think negative thoughts like “no one cares,” or “this will never end,” or “where is God?” Meditating on the promises of God is especially helpful. He is the One who promised He would never leave us () and Jesus promised He would come back for us (John 14:1-3)

In the storm, the Object of our Focus makes a distinct difference (30)

A. Focusing on Jesus will empower us ()

Explanation: When the 12 heard the voice of Jesus, they must have experienced great relief. Peter, probably reacting to the turn of events, quickly asks Jesus to bid him to join Him on the water. [The if is a first class conditional and is better translated since]. Peter sees Jesus doing something incredible, and he knows that if Jesus wants Peter to join Him, then He will give Peter the ability to get out there.

Peter, along with the others, had recently been empowered by Jesus to not only proclaim the Gospel, but also the ability to cast out demons and heal the sick . Peter believed that Jesus could do this or he would never have gotten out of the boat. Therefore, when Jesus said, Come, Peter stepped out and headed towards Jesus. The text plainly states that Peter did indeed walk on the water. And, as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus he was fine.

Focusing on our circumstances will drag us down ()

A good question to ask at this point is: “why didn’t Jesus stop the storm right then?” When the disciples saw Him and when He revealed His identity to them, Jesus could have immediately stilled the storm. Instead, He continued to let the wind and waves run wild. At some point in his walk, Peter looked at the wind’s effects on the waves. When he focused on the situation instead of the Master of the situation Peter became fearful. His faith weakened, and he started to sink.

We are similar to Peter. The specific circumstances aren’t the issue. The issue is whether we allow our focus to be dominated by the natural or by the One who created and has power over the natural.

When Peter cried to the Lord to rescue him, Jesus reached out and took hold of him and kept him up. Jesus did have words of rebuke for Peter. The Lord chastised Peter for having small faith and doubting. The Lord’s rebukes are fair: Peter had witnessed and experienced enough for his faith in Christ to be greater. Jesus was telling Peter that his doubt was unfounded. Peter was being successful, so why did Peter doubt? We should not rush to judgment on Peter. After all, he was the only 1 of the 12 who got out of the boat. And, it is important to remember that he was closer to Jesus than he was to the boat when he started to sink. We would be wise to leave the rebukes of others to the Lord and focus on our own level of faith.

Following Jesus through tough times will lead us to new experiences of Worship ()

Explanation: Leaning and totally depending on Jesus, Peter was led back to the boat. When Jesus entered the boat, the storm immediately ceased; He did not even need to speak a word or utter a command. Amazed and overwhelmed by such a display of power and divinity, the 12 worshiped Jesus. This is the climax of the story, not that He walked on water, but that He was worthy of their worship.