The Boat in the Storm // Overboard with Jesus, Part 2

Christianityworks Official Podcast

I remember someone once saying to me “oh, you’re not one of those ‘born again’ Christians are you?” The tone in her voice said it all. I was driving a car at the time, so I couldn’t turn to look her in the eye. I just smiled and replied “Well, actually, that’s the only sort of Christian there is!”

WHEN THE STORM BLOWS IN

As societies around the world become more and more secular, they’re inventing more and more stereotypes to marginalise Christians. You see, and I can tell you this first hand, if you don’t believe in Jesus, the message of Christianity makes you feel incredibly uncomfortable. Why? Because whether you realise it or not – and at the time I didn’t realise it – deep down, there’s something in your makeup that knows that these Christians are right.

Man you Christians used to offend me. And annoy me. And make me squirm. So I did what any self respecting atheist would do, I lashed out at you. I persecuted you. It’s why today, I so relate to the Apostle Paul, who as a Pharisee, did exactly the same.

With the same sneer in their voice, people these days use terms like “evangelical Christians”, “conservative Christians”, “hardliners”, “fundamentalists” to paint a picture of what Jesus said, what I with all my heart believe, as being wholly undesirable and unreasonable and irrelevant and downright dangerous.

Never mind that any half decent legal system, any half decent system of justice around the world, is modelled on the Word of God. There are some countries where it’s not, and those countries are inevitably brutal and unjust. Not the sorts of places you and I would want to live in. Nevertheless, as people in democracies exercise their freedom of speech, many do so, to marginalise the very faith and belief system that gave them this freedom in the first place.

So what happens, is that many Christians withdraw back into their shells. They stop living out their faith because they feel marginalised. Persecution can do that, especially if you love the comfortable lifestyle. Why don’t I just blend in with the rest – perhaps then no one will notice me.

Then the storm hits – it blows, the boat you’re in is pitching and you think to yourself – how will I ever survive this?! Do you see how many good reasons there are to just sit there, and pretend that you’re not really a Jesus follower?! Whether it’s the subtle marginalisation of an increasingly secular society that stops you from living out and speaking out your faith, or whether it’s the excuse of some great and mighty storm that seems to be sweeping through your life, there is an endless array of excuses not to live your life full on for Jesus.

I guess by now, with me talking about a storm, you might have a sense of which passage of scripture I’m heading towards … so let’s take a look already:

Matt 14:22–33: Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

There are three things that really hit met between the eyes about this amazing story. Right now, I just want to take a look at the first one of those. You see, when the storms strike in our lives, we find ourselves wondering – that the blazes is going on here? Have I failed God? Have I made a mistake? Have I somehow stepped outside His will and His favour? Has God given up on me? And with all of those questions swirling around inside us, the self–pity wells up and we find ourselves with more than ample justification for not stepping out of the boat.

But when you read the account of this event again, you have to come to the somewhat confronting realisation, that putting those disciples in that boat, on that stormy ocean, is something that Jesus did quite deliberately. They’d just had a powerful time of ministry – fed 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves. And immediately, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side … while he dismissed the crowds and then went off alone to pray.

Putting the disciples in harms way, putting them on the stormy ocean, putting them in a place where they would perish if God didn’t intervene, was – wait for this – the sovereign choice of a sovereign God. Of course a storm is nothing to Him, but to a bunch of immature disciples, it was horrendous. They were cowering, their lives were threatened.

This series is called “Overboard With Jesus” – and we’re doing to take a look at the rest of this story tomorrow on the program/after a short break. But right now, I want to focus this situation of the disciples in the boat, back onto your life. Onto the tiny boat on the big ocean that you’re sailing on.

When was the last time that a storm hit? When was the last time that your little boat was battered by waves, far from the land, with the wind against you? Do you remember that time? Perhaps you’re going through one of those times right now. Perhaps your situation, your circumstances, your relationships … seem completely impossible.

Well, I want you to know something. Where you’re at right now is not accident. It’s no mistake. In fact, it is the sovereign choice of God for you. Now just process that for a minute – what things does it change for you?

OVERBOARD IN THE STORM

I mentioned earlier on in this series that I began my walk with Jesus in the middle of a boat on an incredibly stormy ocean – not literally speaking you understand. But my first two years with Him were the worst two years of my life. I’ve never been lower, it’s never been darker and scarier and lonelier and more painful … and I never, ever, ever want to be back in that place again.

Of course, whether or not we end up in the middle of a storm isn’t always up to us. Sometimes it’s our fault. God always lets us live through the consequences of our sin, and so sometimes the pain that we’re going through is just that. It’s the only way we learn our lessons in life isn’t it.

Like that old Yiddish proverb – every generation has to learn for itself that the stove is hot.

But sometimes a storm blows in that simply isn’t our fault. It just happens and as we saw yesterday on the program / before the break those storms aren’t just some accident, but the sovereign will of God.

It’s hard to imagine that God would let that happen – but you see, He is so much more interested in our character than our comfort. A verse that I go back to again and again when I’m suffering is

James 1:2–4: My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

And we’ve seen already that God uses storms in that very way. Let’s revisit that storm story in Matthew 14 again, because there are a couple of more things that God has to say to us through what Jesus and the Disciples did on that day:

Matt 14:22–33: Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Okay so putting the disciples in harm’s way was a deliberate choice that Jesus made. Storm, wind … even the seasoned fishermen among them were getting downright scared. And then just to top it off, Jesus comes walking across the water towards them. They thought they were seeing a ghost.

It’s often the way when Jesus steps supernaturally into our storms in life. As much as we don’t like the storm, we can kind of understand the things we can see and touch and feel. But when the hand of God starts moving supernaturally, that is completely unsettling and scary – when Jesus first steps into our storm, it can be scary, until we hear His voice. Until we know that it’s Him.

I remember in my big storm, man when He led me to a church, when He led me to a Bible college – completely crazy given who I was and where I was at – it was scary. But then He speaks … He speaks words of assurance and comfort – Don’t be afraid … it’s me.

People ask me, how do you hear that? How do you hear Him speak? Most often, I’ve heard Him speak through the Bible. Sounds corny, but it’s true. This morning as I read the next Psalm that I was due to read, He just spoke so directly into what I was going through. But He speaks through sermons, sometimes He touches me deeply when I’m watching a movie, through things that happen … when you read your Bible, you’ll see He speaks in all sorts of different ways.

And that speaking brings courage to your heart. When the ministry of Christianityworks a few years ago looked like it was going to crash and burn for a lack of funds, man I spent a lot of time on my knees and I can tell you, it was Jesus speaking to me that gave me the courage and resolve to keep going.

And then, right there, the next, the single most bizarre part of this story unfolds. Peter gets out of the boat.

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.

Just stop and think about that. Not only did the words of Jesus inspire enough courage in Peter’s heart to get out of the boat and walk on water, but He did it while the storm was still raging. And you know something, that’s often how Jesus does things. He calls us out of the boat in the middle of the storm.

Now at the peak of the storm, we have the maximum number of excuses to stay back in the boat. Truly we do. Now’s not the right time. We’re a long way from land. The boat is being battered and overcome by waves. The wind is against us. Now is simply not a good time Jesus. Let’s wait for the storm to stop. But now, the Holy Spirit inspires Peter to say “Lord, if it really is you, command me to come to you on the water”.

That right there speaks of a heart ready to follow Jesus. Peter knew that he was better out on the water with Jesus in the middle of the storm, than back in the boat with his mates who were paralysed by fear. This is what it means to go Overboard With Jesus. To follow Him wherever He may call – to ask Him to call us on, to serve Him, to trust in Him, to do the impossible … in Him. And one day, Jesus is going to call you out of the boat in the middle of your storms.

Trust me. If you’re listening, if your heart is open, if you yearn for Him, He will call you and when you step out of the boat in His power, rather than your strength, you won’t be perfect at it any more than Peter was. Peter took his eyes off Jesus and focussed on the storm, which is when he started to sink. But Jesus was there, Jesus is always there, to catch us when we fail, when our faith wanes.

Overboard With Jesus means putting it all on the line. Some people rock along to church give their 10% tithe, like tipping God almost, and think to themselves, yep, I’m a good Christian. I go to church, I sing the songs, I give a tithe of my income, tick, tick, tick. Nothing wrong with any of those things.

But one day … one day, right in the middle of a storm, He will call you out of your boat, to step out onto the water in the middle of the storm. There’s only one thing that keeps you afloat in that place … your faith in Jesus. And it’s not until you’ve experienced that, it’s not until you’ve seen Jesus calm the storm, that you can truly say from the bottom of your heart, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Storms come into our lives as a sovereign act of God. They completely overwhelm us. And in the middle of them, if we’re looking, listening, waiting … Jesus will call us out of the boat onto the water to experience His miracle working power and faithfulness.

Question is … are you ready? Are you looking and waiting? Will you go?

THAT SINKING FEELING

I’m not sure whether you’ve ever thought about this, but in the three and a half years of Jesus’ public ministry back there in the first century AD, Jesus Himself faced rather a lot of resistance. The beginning of that ministry was marked by His baptism in the Jordan river. Immediately after that, we’re told, the Holy Spirit threw Him out in the wilderness, to be tempted by the devil for forty days and nights, while He starved almost to the point of death.

When that didn’t work the devil withdrew to wait for a more opportune time. Straight off the back of that, He goes back to His hometown of Nazareth to preach, and they try to throw Him off a cliff. The Pharisees and Sadducees were pretty soon on His case plotting to kill Him – something they eventually succeeded at – but not before people left Him in droves (John 6:66) because they didn’t like what He was saying.

And when it did come to His crucifixion, every last one of His friends and family deserted Him. Yeah, following Jesus is going to mean resistance. A lot of it. Jesus Himself said:

Matt 7:13,14 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it

I think sometimes we imagine that when we set our lives on a course to follow Jesus, when we step out of the boat in the middle of the storm as Peter did on the Sea of Tiberias, it’s going to be easy. God is going to smooth a path out for us and it should all be predictable, safe and easy.

Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, that’s simply not what Jesus promised, ever.

John 15:20,21 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘Servants are not greater than their master. ’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me

And so you can want to follow Jesus, you can want to honour Him with all that you are, but when you’re swimming against the tide, you get tired. It’s hard … and people lose heart. And on top of that, when those storms hit, you focus on the opposition, take your eyes off Jesus and then … then you get that sinking feeling. Remember the story that we’ve been looking at so far of the storm, Jesus walking on the water and then Peter getting out of the boat:

Matt 14:28–30 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me.

It is so disheartening to fail Jesus. It really is. I can tell you that firsthand. And if you’re someone who wants to live your life for Him, you know it too. It is soooo disheartening, particularly, when like Peter, you can feel yourself sinking and losing and failing and …

But while you and I will fail, while you and I will be unfaithful, listen to me, Jesus will never, ever fail you. He will never, ever let you down. He will never, ever let you sink.

Matt 14:28–33 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

And that’s why you and I need never be afraid to step out of the boat onto the stormy sea, if it’s Jesus calling us out to do it. You can’t do it in your own strength. Peter knew that – that’s why He said Lord if it’s you then you command me to come out onto the water. He wasn’t stupid, right! It had to be Jesus calling Him.

But when Jesus does call you, He is faithful. He provides all your needs. He gives you all the power you need. That’s an absolute given from His standpoint. That’s why He says to peter – You of little faith, why did you doubt? There was absolutely no reason to doubt. It’s me you’re talking about here. Do you get it?!

I know, I know, we so often want to play it safe. But here’s the thing, you don’t get to experience the miracle working power of God in your safety zone. It’s out on the stormy sea that we discover who this Jesus really is. You don’t discover His faithfulness or His power stuck back in your comfort zone. In fact Jesus Himself said:

Luke 14:27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

So, let’s talk about you for a moment. Are you in with all that you are? Are you prepared to lay everything – everything – on the line for Jesus? Or are you holding something back? Let’s go back to that picture of Peter stepping out of the boat. He was prepared to put his life on the line to live a life of faith in Jesus.

And as we know, He failed a few times along the way, but that doesn't seem to bother Jesus that much in the scheme of things. Too many people die wondering … what if I’d stepped out when Jesus called me? What if I’d gone Overboard With Jesus? What if … what if … what if …

Well, I’ll tell you what if. Anyone who has heard Jesus’ call overboard will know what Peter knew in his own experience. Jesus is always faithful. He just is.