This sermon was preached September 9th, 2007. The story of Peter is one of my favorites.

Peter Got Out Of The Boat!

In reading this message, I am amazed at a number of things, but in particular, these four points leap out at me.
1. Peter got out of the boat. When I say “leaped at me,” this was a really big leap. These words should be posted in big letters across the foyer. “Peter got out of the boat!” Can you see how big that is? Peter was a fisherman. His life and living came from boats. He was very familiar with boats. Peter spent his whole life in boats, yet he got out of the boat. Against all common sense and understanding, he got out of the boat. I am a machinist by trade. I have spent a lot of time around machinery. I know that certain things happen while machining. Sometimes the spinning cutters mesmerize you, making you feel like you could reach out and touch them as they are spinning. But I also know what happens when your fingers get in the way of turning cutters. I avoid turning things now. Peter, I am sure, had dropped a lot of things in the water during his life, nets, hooks, weights, anchors, rope, lunch, and he had knowledge about one thing, if it weighed more than the water it displaced, it was going to sink. Yet he got out of the boat. Why did Peter get out of the boat? The answer is simple. The Lord told him too. While Peter and the others were holding on for dear life at the surging waves tossing the boat back and forth, Jesus walked across the water towards them. What was their response? They thought it was a ghost. After all the miracles they had already witnessed and all the remarkable things they heard Jesus teach, they thought it was a ghost. Remember, they had just left the place where Jesus fed 5000 people with a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread. How transitory was their faith. How fleeting their belief. Ok, I’ll cut them a little slack; they had been fighting the wind and waves for several hours. They were tired, cranky, and more than a little nervous to begin with. Even so, they cried out in fear when they saw Jesus walking towards them on the water. What was Jesus’ response? He calmed their fears. Just as he calms our fears when we cry out, he calmed their fears. Then Peter, with I am sure some doubt, said “if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” “If” is a big word for so few letters. “If it is you…” Peter still wasn’t sure. But of this he was sure of, if it was Jesus on the water, Peter wanted to come out to him. He didn’t say “Quick, get in the boat.” He didn’t say “Swim back to shore.” He said “Command me to come out to you ON THE WATER.” Peter knew what he was saying, it wasn’t a mistake. He asked his Lord to let him walk on water. Jesus said “Come.” So…Peter got out of the boat.
2. When Peter walked in faith, he could do anything. Now, let’s look at what happened when he got out of the boat. He walked on the water. On his feet. And we have to presume that it wasn’t cold enough to ice over. Against all laws of physics and gravity, he walked on water. Just like his Lord. How did he do it? In faith. In faith he got out of the boat and in faith he walked on water. While Peter was walking toward his Lord, and keeping his eye upon him, he walked on the water. His faith in his Lord kept him safe. How great a faith was that? At this point, still not very great. Remember, in a few weeks he would deny his Lord three times. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus say to the disciples that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed, they could move mountains, and that nothing will be impossible to them. How much faith do you have? Is it smaller than a mustard seed? I found out that a mustard seed is about 40 thousandths in diameter. That is about the size of 10 hairs. That’s not very big. What the story in Matthew 17 was saying is that very small faith can do very big things. Again, how big is your faith? Have you stepped out of the boat lately? Or are you staying in the boat, holding on with all your might, afraid you might get wet? Let’s get back to Peter. I would say that his faith was incomplete, at best. He still did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. That wouldn’t happen until Pentecost. Yet he still had enough faith to step out of the boat and walk to Jesus. Where was his focus? On Jesus. His whole concentration, at that point, was on Jesus. Where was the faith of the rest of the party? They were probably holding on to the boat for dear life, white knuckling the railing. Even though they had seen Jesus perform miracles, even though they had walked with him, talked with him, been taught by him, they didn’t have faith to step out of that boat. But Peter did.
3. When Peter started to worry about his position, he floundered. I can picture the event in my mind. Peter is walking on water, his entire focus on his Lord, Jesus. Then, he starts to look around. He realizes he is doing something impossible. Something unusual. Then he made a fatal mistake, he didn’t turn his eyes back on Jesus. Instead, he started to worry about his situation. He started to fear. His faith, small as it was, got smaller yet. Verse 30 says “But when he saw the wind…” Now, you and I know that we can’t see the wind, but we can see the effects of the wind. In Peter’s case, he probably felt the wind blowing against him, saw the waves crashing around him, and maybe even smelled the salty air as it whirled about. Peter started worrying about his environment. He was out of the boat, on the water, and it just wasn’t possible… His faith was gone. As it is when any of us lose faith, Peter started to sink. Have you felt that? You faith is so low that you can’t do anything? Faith so diminished that you feel you can’t go on? Have you been in the midst of a big project, a grave illness, a dire situation, and you don’t have enough faith to carry on? Have you felt that? If you have, you have lost your focus. You focus is no longer on Jesus, but on your own situation. You have forgotten that your faith can see you through any situation. Just as Peter started to sink, you start to sink, as well.
4. When Peter called to his Lord, He saved him. When Peter began to sink, he cried out to the Lord to save him. Interesting, he didn’t start to swim, he called out to Jesus. Maybe he knew he couldn’t do it himself, maybe he knew it was too far to shore, maybe he couldn’t swim. We don’t know. We do know, however, that he cried out to his Lord to save him. Is that what you do? Do you fall on your knees and cry out to God to save you, protect you, help you? Or do you try to do it yourself? Do you try the committee method? Peter could have called out to his buddies still in the boat and ask them what he should do. He could have taken a poll: 43% for swimming, 29% for seeking Jesus, 21% for sinking, and 7% undecided. What do you do when you are sinking? Call your mother, your friend, your pastor? Take a poll and decide that way? Start sinking? Or do you reach out for Jesus, take his hand, pray to him and ask for his help? Honestly, what do you do? “O ye of little faith, why do you doubt?” Jesus reached down, grabbed Peter, and they got into the boat. Jesus brought him back to safety and comfort.

Notice the response by those who stayed in the boat. What was their reaction? Look back at chapter 8, starting with verse 23. The disciples are in the boat, Jesus is sleeping. They wake him up because they are afraid. Jesus rebukes them, then calms the sea. What is their response? They say “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?” After Jesus helps Peter back into the boat, there is a completely different response. They worship him and say “Truly you are the Son if God.” The light bulb of understanding is beginning to shine.

Now, I want to tell you a story about a beautiful young lady that, when opportunity arose, got out of the boat.

She was a quiet, in-the-background type of person. She rarely spoke first, and never drew attention to herself. She was a helper in AWANA, glad to be in the background. She was safe and secure by being a helper. Then one day the Lord called to her. A leader asked if she would do the devotional the next week. She said yes, because she didn’t want to offend the leader. First foot out of the boat. This young beautiful lady came home to her loving, compassionate, and wise husband in tears. She didn’t know how she was going to stand in front of a group of strangers and talk to them about God. It didn’t matter that the strangers were all less than four feet tall and still in elementary school. She was afraid to talk to them. So she cried on her wise, wonderful, compassionate husband’s shoulder. I said “Why don’t you do a puppet show, so no one can see you, and you would feel more comfortable.” So the next week, this young beautiful, but very shy person told others about Christ by using some hand made puppets. Second foot out of the boat. It’s funny, but as long as this beautiful woman kept her eyes on the Lord, she was able to do amazing things with those puppets. The rest, as they say, is history. We have had a Puppet Ministry for over 26 years, now.

Now, she could have said “no.” But she didn’t. She could have said, “I’ve never done this before.” Or “I don’t know how.” Peter could have said the same thing, also. He could have said “I don’t know how to walk on water,” but instead he got out of the boat. He could have said “I’ve never done that before,” as if anybody else had. When his Lord called to him, Peter got out of the boat.

How about you? What will be your response when the Lord calls to you? Will you stay safe and dry in your little boat of life? Will you cling to the railing and hold on for dear life? Or will you step out of the boat?

Well, I've been gone for a while. Not physically, just not posting. Lots of stuff going on. Our new Pastor arrived with his family. We have been cleaning and sprucing up the manse for his arrival. This Sunday, he will be installed by Presbytery as our Pastor. I have had the honor of preaching through Philippians over the last few months. I may post the sermons here for all to read.