9,13 One Step of Faith

“Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; It is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he [Jesus] said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus" (Matt. 14:27-29).

This chapter is not a frivolous invitation to head for the pond nearest you. It is an invitation for you to get out of the boat of ordinariness and onto the circumstances where trust in God is normal.

Meet Peter. He is the crown prince of the unexpected, the unique, the sensational. He was one of those all-too-rare folks who could not let well enough alone. But for all his bumblings, fumblings, mistakes, and jumping-the-gun errors he becomes an unavoidable challenge to all of us to jump out of the boat of the commonplace and out onto the sea of adventure in following Christ.

What is it to walk on water? I am asking in the spiritual realm. It is that moment of truth when we decide to climb out on God and put our weight so much on his providence that if he does not come through we are through! It is the refusal of the status quo, the receiving of Jesus' orders, and the revival of faith. It is the identification of one's self with Jesus in his overcoming and the sharing of his dominion. It is the Christocentric life, the Spirit-filled life, the God-anointed life. It is the walk of faith. . . a life of glorious uncertainties from the human view in order to view the certainties from the divine vantage point!

Things You Should Know About Walking on Water

a)The challenge-- walking on water may confront us in darkness and trouble, as it did the Disciples. They were at the mercy of the turbulent sea between three and six o'clock in the morning.

b)The confrontation--always to enlarge, never to endanger. Be sure that the trouble through which you are passing and the darkness which hangs over you are there to help and not hurt you.

c)The call-- set identities straight before you try to walk on water. Though Jesus had just said, “Be of good cheer; It is I, be not afraid”, Peter wanted to be double sure. He said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come to thee on the water." Once the issue of identity was settled Peter was ready for business.

Dare we say this today? "Lord, if that is you out there, just give me the word and I will come to you on the circumstances, right in the face of every wind that blows." We are always wanting Jesus to come to us.

He wants us to come to him! Jesus , the wind-conquering Savior calls us to share his victory in this storm-tossed age. The world is waiting for a standard-bearer . THIS IS A DAY FOR WALKING ON WATER.

1.Reasons for Walking on Water

What are the reasons behind the challenge to get out of the boat ; of sameness and into a new dimension of life. Basically there are two very good reasons.

1)Dissatisfaction with boat-life.

We have identified boat life with mediocrity, ordinariness, or status quo. Here are some of its characteristics.

Boat life is dull.

It may be safe but it is sour. There may be a minimum of trouble but there is also a minimum of triumph. One of the great problems of this age is boredom. Monotony is misery. Most folks who have insisted on living the same, tame, lame life of noncommitment are bored to death.

Boat life is guilt-ridden.

We are made for pressure. We are constructed for a challenge. We are built for battle. When we allow ourselves to settle into patterns of living that are unchallenging, we are filled with guilt. Our culture may be getting by easy, but the price for it is a guilt-ridden generation.

Boat life is a life of virtual helplessness.

If you stay in the boat you are generally at the mercy of the waves. Whichever way the wind is blowing is the way that the boat will go. Peter and the disciples were out on the sea being tossed about without any control on their circumstances. When we insist in staying in the boat of tradition, compromise and comfort, we will find ourselves at the mercy of trends in our society, whether they be economic trends, political trends, or social trends. When we remain in the boat, we are at the mercy of the waves:

Boat life is unproductive.

The unchallenged life is an unproductive life. God has made us to respond at best to constant pressure. We will not believe if we do not have to. And after a while we will become so accustomed to boat life that we will be helpless in the storms of life.I have no trouble believing that Peter was tired of the life that never launched out on the reality of Jesus.

2) Desire to get out to Jesus.

There is never any other proper motive than this. He is where the action is. And if we are not out there where he is, we will never trust like we should.

We have a sinful tendency -- the tendency to stay at the level of our environment.

Are you out where Jesus is? Would you be willing as did Peter to say to Jesus now, "Lord, if it be you, bid me come to you!" You will respond in the midst of the storms of life in one manner or another. While playing it safe the sea will master you. Going for Jesus will cause you to master the sea.Fix these reasons in your mind , . dissatisfaction with boat life and a desire to get out to Jesus.

2) Requisites for Walking on Water

1) Desire to get to Jesus must be greater than the fear of the unknown.

The enemy uses fear to back us away from God's best. I have had people share with me that they would love to trust God, surrender to God and be filled with the Spirit but they are afraid. I simply tell them, "Until your desire factor rises over your fear factor God can do you little good." If you are to walk on the water of your circumstances to Jesus, your desires must rise above your fears.

2)There must be the willingness to fail.

The passion to succeed is a mark of these days. Threatened failure has caused many a saint to be hesitant to really give all to Jesus. Any time a man steps out of the boat there is the possibility of failure. The man who fears to fail may falter. Not until Peter was willing to be a complete failure was he able to step out of the boat. He must have been willing to be the laughing stock of his group of friends.

Jesus didn’t call us to be successful. He called us to be faithful!

3)There must be a commitment to Jesus.

Peter, when he sought to confirm the identity of Jesus, had already made a commitment, "If it be you . . bid me come." He was really saying, "Lord, I am coming to you if it is you." Peter had already made up his mind what he would do and made his commitment.

4)There must be a commitment from Jesus.

It is of vital importance that our commitment be of such quality that Jesus makes his commitment to us. Peter made such a commitment that Jesus made his commitment to Peter's commitment. He gave Peter one word, "Come!"

That was all that was needed. For that one word was at the same time a command and a promise. God never calls us to do something that He does not empower us to do. Jesus, when he said to Peter, "Come!" was also saying, "You are able!" Whom God enrolls, he enlightens. Whom he enlightens, he empowers. Have you gotten your commitment from Jesus?

5)The first step must be taken.

The longest trip begins with the first step. A walk is but a series of steps and there always has to be a first one. That first step out of the boat onto the water may be the most difficult, but it has to be.

For Peter it was simply to put one foot over the side of the boat and get at it! Do you have what it takes to walk on the water? Is your desire to be with Jesus greater than your fear? Are you willing to fail? Have you made such a commitment to Jesus that he has made his commitment to you? Are you ready to take the first step? Then let us go on!

3)Rules for Walking on Water

Out on the water the waves are high. There are threats and uncertainties. Nowhere in his salvation promises did Jesus promise an easy time to his followers. There is something you and I should know when we step out on faith to follow Jesus -- normal rules do not apply out here. Boat rules will not work out on the water.

You can throw your how-to-do-it books away. If you will get out on God, he will run you out of “flesh” methods and bring you to the point that if God does not come through you are finished! We must come to the place where we had rather sink than spend the rest of our lives in the boat!In the rules we will observe there are three "don'ts" and one "do."

1)Don't look at the waves.

"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid" (Matt. 14:30). Don't be distracted by your difficulties. Remember that Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

When you get out on the waves walking toward Jesus, don't let the size of those waves bother you. Remember that when King Jehoshaphat took one look at the problems, he fastened his eyes on the Lord and said, in effect, "Lord, we have so many problems that we don't know what to do . . BUT OUR EYES ARE ON YOU!" When Peter saw what the wind was doing, he took his eyes off what Jesus was doing.

2)Don't listen to the boat.

You can never depend on man to give you the right answer. The simple reason is that men cannot agree. When you step out of the boat, you will get free unsolicited advice from a myriad of folks who have never walked on the water themselves. They are ready, however, to give you proper instructions on how to stay at it.It is easy to be affected by what people say. It is senseless to listen to others with a view of receiving final truth. We can receive all sorts of advice, and some may lead us to do opposite of what God has called us to do.

3)Don't look at your feet.

In other words don’t become preoccupied with your own "spirituality." We have already encountered the peril of spiritual pride. Many people have stepped out on the adventure of following Jesus only to discover too soon that they were becoming spiritual, "Look at myself! I wonder how I'm doing it!" Begin to look at your own feet to seek to discover how it is that you are walking on water and you too will begin to sink.

4)Keep your eyes on Jesus.

The wind-worrier will not be a Savior-seeker. Either the Savior will rule out the wind or the wind will rule out the Savior. You cannot look at the waves and at Jesus at the same time.

4) Rewards for Walking on Water

1)You get to leave the boat.

You experience deliverance from calculated living. You experience the discovery of your own individuality instead of hiding in the crowd.

2)You get to fail.

Now that is a strange reward isn't it? But Peter, out on the water, experienced failure. Had not Peter failed, he would have never needed to cry, "Lord, save me!" The best things happen to us when we acknowledge our failure and move into his success. The greatest successes have been driven to succeed by failure. It is good to remember that every miracle began with a problem or failure.

3)You get to be rescued.

Salvation is a living relationship and a lasting process. I have been saved . . . I am being saved . . that is present experience. I will be saved . . that is positive eventuality. Only those who know what it feels like to be sinking know what it feels like to be rescued!

4)You get to go to Jesus.

That was the goal of Peter. "He walked on the water, to go to Jesus" (Matt. 14:29). You really don't mind where you are if you can sense that you are with Jesus, even if you are in trouble up to your ears. Those early disciples found their joy in going with Jesus. Are you with him right now?

5)You get to walk with Jesus.

Getting to Jesus is only part, of the experience. Going on with him in a continuous walk is glorious.' The walk may sometimes be punctuated by periods of failure but please remember that after Peter's experience of sinking he continued his walk with Jesus once he was rescued. It took Jesus no time to lift Peter up and restore him to walk with him. Then they walked to the boat together.

6) You get to worship Jesus

Matthew's record says, "And when: they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God" (Matt. 14:32-33). It is marvelous to worship Jesus. It is much more thrilling to worship him after you have been out on the water walking with him through the storm.

This is the reason that the folks who have the most inward peace are those who have known the greatest storms. They have discovered a Savior who can walk with them in the storm, carry them through it, and arrive with them safely at the appointed and intended port. How long has it been since you joyously exclaimed, "Of a truth, you are the Son of God"? It was probably the last time that you found yourself in a set of circumstances which brought Jesus to you walking on the water to prove himself strong to save.

"It is I ,be not afraid . . . come!" –Will your DELIGHT in Jesus cause you to STEP out of your boat and follow Him?