The sermon series continued on the text from Matthew 14: 22-33 where Jesus walked on water. In these few verses, Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water toward Jesus, began to sink into the water, and was saved by Jesus. As we discussed the sermon in our Wednesday evening class, we focused on the power that we experience when we "get out of the boat" and join Jesus in service, caring, and glorifying God. Having faith alone does not allow us to experience the power that Jesus supplies when we take those steps in serving Him.
When we step out as servants, we soon discover that we do not have the power, the gifts, to succeed on our own...we need the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit. When we experience His presence and His power with us as we step out, it is exhilarating and rewarding.
One sermon question we focused on was "Is it worth the risk to get out of the boat?" What is the risk when we step out for Christ. When Peter stepped out, we discover that he was not really at risk. Even when he was sinking, Jesus was there to "immediately reach out His hand and catch him..." vs31. That is the reality of serving Christ...stepping into His mission field; we are not at risk. Far too often we are afraid that we are not equipped, knowledgeable, gifted enough to accomplish what He calls us to do so we stay in the security of the boat and miss the exhilaration of experiencing Him with all His Power and Love.
Instead of looking at the risk of getting out of the boat, we should look at the risk of not getting out of the boat. If Peter had stayed in the boat he would not have experienced the saving hand of Jesus. The other disciples, safely in the boat, would not have witnessed the power of Peter's faith (his first successful steps) nor the result of taking his eyes off Jesus (Peter sinking), and the love of Jesus. Verse 33 reveals the reward of responding to Jesus and serving in His Spirit; "And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying "Truly you are the Son of God" Witnessing and experiencing Jesus is how we grow in Him and Him in us.
We get out of the boat so that God will be glorified. We don't do it for our own glory or for our own sense of accomplishment. We do it so the world will see the glory of Jesus, the power of the Spirit, and the Love of God.
Discover and Proclaim the Truth of The Bible which is: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." (John 3:16 NRSV). Jesus came to humanity to proclaim and give evidence to that love and He has commanded us to do the same. We, who believe, must not merely be followers, but we must be proclaimers of the Gospel Message and we can only do that by being filled with the love of God.
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