Jesus Walks on Water

Title: Jesus Walks on Water | Text: John 6:16–21

Intro

Steve Lawson, “Resounding throughout the pages of Scripture is the proclamation that God is king. And the concept most closely associated with His kingship is His sovereignty. To say that God is sovereign is not to say merely that He is stronger than everyone else, although this is true. Rather, to call Him sovereign is to ascribe to Him a rule and authority that transcends space and time, leaving nothing outside its scope.”

Abraham kuyper, There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: “Mine!”

MPS: When Jesus draws near to us, He silences our fears and reminds us of our need for Him. 

Jesus is Sovereign over His Plans (16–18)

Anchor word or phrase: “Jesus had not yet come to them.” The plan was always to get to His disciples. He wasn’t going to abandon them.

Ref: Matthew 14:22 (He made the disciples get into the boat ...”)

One gospel mentions Jesus’ command while John’s accentuates that Jesus (as God) knew where they were as the sea started to become turbulent.

APP: Everything that happens here is because Jesus orchestrated to happen this way. Because He is in control. Which means that the trials that come your way aren’t an accident. The challenges, difficulties, and even hardships that arise in your life aren’t an accident. God uses those things to shape us.

The truth is … we don’t like hardship, pain, difficulty, or challenges. We’d much rather run away from them or avoid them at all cost because the are an impediment to our happiness, peace, and comfortable lives (Give me Jesus but don’t rock the boat Jesus) and aren’t seen as the tools that God uses for our holiness.

Spoiler alert for some of you … because even though some many of you are young … doesn’t mean you haven been through some strong and difficult things in life that hurt and are hard (so please don’t hear what I’m not saying), but for some of you … spoiler alter … as you get older life gets hard and it hurts.

Deposit this statement in your mind for the next few moments because we’re going to revisit it at the end of the sermon: How you deal and even view trails will speak volumes about your belief in Jesus.

Two things are undeniably true about this section: (1) Jesus knew why He was doing what He was doing and (2) He was the one orchestrating everything.

Jesus is Sovereign over His Creation (19)

Anchor Word or phrase: “they saw Jesus walking on the sea.” Matthew 8:23–27

He is walking in the middle of the storm and through the storm!

TRANS: As they see the divine taking place what does Jesus reveal about himself to them?

Jesus is the Great I AM (20–21)

What Jesus says should captivate us more than what He did!

Key word: I AM!

God has neither beginning nor end, and He is not dependent upon anyone or anything. Everything that has life emanates from God. He doesn’t just preserve life--He creates life itself because life is in Him. He created you, gave you life, and even sustains your life.

Ps 90:1–4. “Lord, you have been our refuge in every generation.2 Before the mountains were born,

before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, you are God.3 You return mankind to the dust, saying, “Return, descendants of Adam.” 4 For in your sight a thousand years

are like yesterday that passes by, like a few hours of the night.”

Tim Keller, “All other power in this world is only loan from Him.”

Here’s what I love the most: That God became flesh.

What this text doesn’t teach is that Jesus will calm all of the storms in your life—in fact, no where in Scripture does it teach that concept. Rather, knowing that Jesus is the great I AM teaches us that He sovereign over us. The misconception, at times, is that Jesus is some Divine Sugar Daddy that gives us what we want, when we want so that we don’t have to go through difficulty, learn or grow or give up anything for Him because He’s God. We love the God who forgives, comforts, and blesses — but His character isn’t limited to just those things.

ILL: Listen, and think about this for just a moment — how would you like to be in a relationship with someone that all you wanted from them is just the few things you like about them that benefit you? You like their status, popularity, potential, money, or good looks … is that all that person is about?

Like this is isn’t the “You’re Welcome” that Maui sings in Moana …

“Ok, ok, I see what's happening here You're face to face with greatness, and it's strange You don't even know how you feel It's adorable Well, it's nice to see that humans never change

Open your eyes, let's begin Yes, it's really me, it's Maui Breathe it in I know it's a lot The hair, the bod When you're staring at a demi-god”

That’s how we want to engage with someone in a relationship, right?

That’s not how we engage with God … that’s not honest engagement with God ... that’s called entitlement.

Right here and right now — you have to decide: Do you believe that He is God? You cannot make a separate the God who walked on water and the God who is authoritative over your life. Jesus saying I AM is say that He is God. And because He is God has the right to speak into your life.

Jesus is our Strength (19b, 20b, Matt. 14:26–32)

Notice where the focus lands here: Jesus focus

It’s God’s strength in us that silences our fears, which means that we need Him.

It’s God’s strength in us and our trust in Him that enables us to face life’s trials.

We are Peter saying: “LORD, SAVE ME!”

It’s about the object of our faith, not manufacturing our faith. **The difference between circumstantial faith and objective faith in Jesus!

What do you hope in when trials come your way? What do you trust in that motivates your feelings, motives, decisions, security and hope? A gut feeling? Your plans? 

APPLICATION: When Jesus becomes all that you need, then He is all that you’ll worship (Matthew 14:33).