If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat

Chapter 1
On Water Walking

Introduction of author
Pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (California)
Former Teaching Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church (Illinois)
Author of The Life You've Always Wanted
Graduate of Fuller Seminary

Introduction of book
Published in 2001
Application of story in Matthew 14 where Peter walks on the water with Jesus

Matthew 14: 22-33

22
Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he
dismissed the crowds. 23And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to
pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat by this time was a long way from the land,
beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25And in the fourth watch of the night he came to
them, walking on the sea. 26But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and
said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take
heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."
28
And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29He said,
"Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30But when he saw the
wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." 31Jesus immediately reached out
his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32And when they
got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son
of God."

Situational context
What happened before: Feeding of the 5000
Sea of Galilee
Time of day (3:00 A.M.)
Weather
Response of the disciples

Bottom line:
Story of stepping out in faith to experience something more of the power and presence of
God.

Consistent pattern in scripture of what happens in a life that God wants to use and improve
1) a call
2) fear
3) reassurance
4) decision
5) a changed life
Characteristics of "Water Walkers"
Water walkers...

... recognize God's presence

- Difficult to recognize His presence in the middle of a storm
- Sometimes it takes eyes of faith to recognize when Jesus is around
- Mark: Jesus intended to "pass them by"
Used in Greek translation of OT to refer to a theophany
- God making a striking and temporary appearance in the earthly realm to a select
an individual or group to communicate a message
- Moses in cleft of rock
- Elijah on the mountain
- Pattern:
- God got person's attention (burning bush, etc.)
- God called the person to do something extraordinary
- Person felt afraid
- Everytime person said "yes," they experienced power of God in their
lives
- Jesus was revealing his divine presence and power
- They were in the boat in the first place because of Jesus' command
Following His command is no guarantee we won't see adversity
- Jesus showed up when least expected
- Other disciples were afraid but Peter recognized the presence of God

... discern between faith and foolishness

- story primarily about obedience
- must discern between authentic call from God and foolish impulse
- not about extreme risk for risk's sake, about extreme obedience
- Peter asked for clarity

... get out of the boat

- Boat ride to Catalina (no dramamine)
- imagine being in that storm
- boat was safe, secure, and comfortable
- "If you don't get out of the boat, there's a guaranteed certainty that you will
never walk on the water"
- "There is more to life than sitting in the boat"
- "You were made for something more than merely avoiding failure."
- What's your boat?
- Your fear will tell you: "What is it that most produces fear in me, especially
when I think of leaving it behind and stepping out in faith?"
- examples:
- vocation
- relationship
- secrecy
- success
 Rich, young man (Matt 19: 16-24)
- Did he ever look back on his decision with regret?

... expect problems

- Peter "saw the wind"
- Focus shifted from Jesus to the storm
- Is life in the boat going to be any safer?
No guarantee life in boat is going to be any safer
- Larry Laudan: Risk Lock
Everything is risky - "If you're looking for absolute safety, you chose the wrong
species."
- Who was greatest hitter in baseball? What was his batting average?
Babe Ruth : .342
Greatest hitters fail two out of three times
- "If you live in the boat--whatever your boat happens to be--you will eventually die of
boredom and stagnation."

... accept fear as the price of growth

- "Choice to follow Jesus (choosing growth) is the choice for the constant
recurrence of fear"
- "You've got to get out of the boat a little every day"
- Growth involves new territory and new challenges
- Growth is a choice between risk and comfort
- Americans are into comfort
#1 selling chair? La-Z-Boy
Not Risk-E-Boy or Work-R-Boy
People sitting in their La-Z-Boys in front of their T.V.'s? Couch Potatoes!
- Many in church want comfort associated with spirituality, but don't want risk and
challenge that comes with following Jesus. Pew Potatoes!
- The other disciples were Boat Potatoes!
- Choice you make between risk and comfort can become a habit!

... master failure management

- Failure is not an event, it's a judgement about an event.
- Jonas Salk took 201 tries to develop a polio vaccine
Discovered 200 ways how not to vaccinate for polio
- When he started sinking, did Peter fail?
- If he did, there were 11 bigger failures in the boat
Their failure went unnoticed, unobserved, uncriticized
- Only Peter knew shame of public failure
- But only Peter knew glory of walking on water
attempted to do what he was not capable of doing on his own empowered
by God to actually do it
- Also only Peter knew glory of being lifted up by Jesus in a moment of desperate
need
- Worst failure is not to sink, it's to never get out of the boat
... see failure as an opportunity to grow
- Peter sank when he took his focus away from Jesus
- Jesus said: "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Not necessarily criticizing
Comment made when they were alone
Helped Peter identify source of his problem
- Peter now understood his dependence on faith more deeply than if he'd never gotten out
of the boat
- Because Peter put himself in a position to fail, he also put himself in a position to grow
- Failure does not shape you; the way you respond to failure shapes you

... learn to wait on the Lord

- The disciples had to wait until 3:00 A.M.
- We have to learn to wait on the Lord to receive power to walk on the water
- Waiting on the Lord not the same as "waiting around"
It means putting yourself with utter vulnerability in His hands
- Isaiah 40:28-31
28
Have you not known? Have you not heard?The LORD is the everlasting God, the
Creator of the ends of the earth.He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is
unsearchable.29He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases
strength.30Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
31
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings like eagles;they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

... know water walking brings a deeper connection with God

- Why risk getting out of the boat?
- It's the only way to real growth
- It's the way true faith develops
- It's the alternative to boredom and stagnation that caused people to wither up
and die
- It's part of discovering and obeying your calling
- The water is where Jesus is!

Conclusion
Where are you in relation to Jesus these days?
- Huddled in the boat with a life preserver and the seat belt on
- One leg in, one leg out
- I'm walking on the water - and loving it
- I'm out of the boat - but the wind looks pretty bad

Theodore Roosevelt quote:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the
doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose
face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and
again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the
great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph
of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his
place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Matthew West video: The Motions