Get Out Of The Boat
Introduction
Scripture
Faith vs Failure
It says in verse 24 a storm comes along, so rough that the disciples can’t make it across this body of water—and these are professional sailors. Verse 25 tells us that Jesus comes in the fourth watch of the night—sometime between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Picture in your mind the size of the waves, the strength of the wind, and the darkness of the night. Picture this little boat struggling to avoid being capsized. Matthew says the boat was tormented by waves—that’s the Greek word he uses. Cold, wet, exhausted, terrified. These are the conditions under which Peter is going to get out of the boat.
I don’t know much about boats
I would think it would be difficult enough to get out of a boat and try to walk on the water when it’s calm, in daylight. That would take about as much courage as the average person can muster.
Imagine doing it when the waves are crashing and the wind is at gale force and it’s three in the morning and the night is black. Peter gets out, and he falls. He doesn’t make it. It’s a story of failure. Or is it?
The boat is safe, and the boat is secure, and the boat is comfortable. The water is high, the waves are rough, the wind is strong, and the night is dark. A storm is out there, and if you get out of your boat, you may sink.
But if you don’t get out of your boat, you will never walk because if you want to walk on the water, you have to get out of the boat. There is something, someone inside us that tells us our lives are about something more than sitting in the boat, something that wants to walk on the water, something that calls us to leave the routine of comfortable existence and abandon ourselves in this adventure of following Christ.
Jesus comes to his disciples. The disciples see him walking on the sea, and they’re terrified. Jesus says, “Have no fear. It’s me.” He says, “You can trust my character and my confidence. You can safely, without reservation, with no hesitation, place your life in my hands. You have this storm, you have me. Recognize which is more powerful.”
So Peter says, “All right, Lord. If it’s really you, what do you want me to do? Command me.”
Jesus says, “All right, Peter, out of the boat.”
Peter lifts one leg over the side. He puts his foot on the water, and then he lifts his other leg over the side of the boat and puts that foot on the water. And then he lets go. He is still standing, and he turns and takes a step toward Jesus. Then he takes another step, and for the first time in the history of the human race, an ordinary, mortal man is walking on the water. And for just a moment, it’s just Peter and Jesus.
Then all of a sudden, Peter realizes what he is doing; he sees the waves; he feels the sting of the water. And his faith gives way; he is afraid again, and he sinks.
Question: Did Peter fail?
This text, I believe, radically redefines failure in the life of a follower of Christ. Failure is not so much an event. It is the way we interpret or judge an event. It is a label we attach to it.
Did Peter fail? Well, yes, in one sense. His faith gave way. He could not stay locked in to Jesus. He sank. He failed. But there were eleven bigger failures in the boat. They failed privately. They failed quietly. Their failure was safe, unnoticed, uncriticized.
Only Peter experienced the shame of public failure. But only Peter knew the glory of walking on the water. And only Peter knew, in a way that the others never would, that when he sank, Jesus would be there; he knew that Jesus is wholly adequate to save. Peter had a shared moment, a connection, that nobody else could have. They could not have had it because they never got out of the boat.
Somebody asked Winston Churchill one time, “What most prepared you to lead Great Britain through World War II?” For a period of time, Great Britain stood virtually alone against Nazi Germany as it dominated the Western World.
This was Churchill’s response: “It was the time I repeated a class in grade school.”
The questioner said, “You mean you flunked a grade?”
Churchill said, “I never flunked in my life. I was given a second opportunity to get it right.”
We need to have a Disciple’s Faith
It sounds exciting. You’re for it. But you’re wondering what you do. The heart of it is the choice to become a disciple of Jesus. A disciple is not simply somebody who believes in certain things so he will get into heaven when he dies. A disciple is someone who says, “It is my ultimate goal to live the way that Jesus would live if he were in my body.” A non-disciple is somebody who has any other goal. And you’re not likely to drift into discipleship. You have to choose.
The next step will look different for different people because we’re all different, because we all need to learn different things.
To be a disciple is to be a learner or a student. It is to choose to grow in Christ. And growth means entering new territory, getting out of the boat. Every time you do that, you experience fear.
Here is the amazing thing about discipleship: Fear will never go away. Every time you get out of the boat, every time you enter a new challenge area, you experience fear. Discipleship is always a choice between comfort and fear. To be a disciple is to renounce comfort.
Result of a Disciple’s Faith
As a result of Peter’s having gotten out of the boat, and as a result of his failure and the redeeming hand of Christ, those in the boat worshipped Christ. When people get out of the boat, the power of God is put into play and remarkable things happen.
Popular Waves that Stop People
Conclusion
Jesus is still looking for people to get out of the boat. If you go, you will face problems. A storm is out there. Your faith will not be perfect, and you will sink.
But I know two other things.
I know that when you fail—and you will fail—Jesus will be there. He will pick you up. He will not leave you alone.
And I know that every once in a while, friends, you’re going to walk on the water.