PRESENTER: Dr. JoAnne P. King
Good morning Saints, and welcome to Exousia Ministries. Today, we will cover Part 3 of our sermon “Seven Mountains in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ Provide a Framework for Christian Living!” Pt. 3 and will be based on Matthew 14:22-36 Amp. which says:
“Immediately He directed the disciples to get into the ship and go ahead of Him to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee], while He sent the crowds away. [Mark 6:45-52, John 6:15-21]
"After He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was there alone.
"But the ship [by this time] was already a long distance from land, tossed and battered by the waves; for the wind was against them.
"And in the fourth watch of the night (3:00 - 6:00 a.m.) Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. [Mark 6:48; John 6:19]
"When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear.
"But immediately He spoke to them saying "Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid!" [Ex. 3:14]
"Peter replied to Him, "Lord, if it is [really] You, Command me to come to You on the water."
"He said, "Come!" So, Peter got out of the ship, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
"But when he saw [the effects of] the wind, he was frightened, and he began to sink, and he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
"Immediately Jesus extended His hand and caught him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
"And when they got into the ship, the wind ceased.
"Then those in the ship worshiped Him [with awe-inspired reverence], saying, "Truly You are the Son of God!"
"When they had crossed over [the sea], they went ashore at Gennesaret.
"And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent word throughout all the surrounding district and brought to Him all who were sick;
"And they begged Him to let them merely touch the fringe of His robe; and all who touched it were perfectly restored. [Matt. 9:20]
Background:
Have you ever wondered why Jesus started His ministry at the age of 30? Why not 25 or 20 years of age? Week before last, I told you that the Pharisees thought that Jesus had come to abolish the Law, but Jesus said that He had come to fulfill the Law. And this is what He did in this case, because in Numbers 4:3, God told Moses what the work of a Priest was and their work age had to be 30 to 50 years of age. The age was lowered later by kings but Jesus adhered to the age set by God!
Jesus has just learned that John the Baptist has been martyred by King Herod and departed the area by ship into a desert place. Not because He was afraid, but to continue His work. John was popular and a great public commotion was expected over this murder, so Jesus withdrew to avoid commotion being charged to Him. He did not want to expose Himself unduly to His enemies before the time for Him to do so. Additionally, He wanted to spend alone time with His Father as was his custom and be refreshed and empowered anew!
When the multitude learned of His departure, they followed Him to the desert. When Jesus saw the great multitude, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. When evening came, they were still in the desert and the disciples wanted Jesus to let them go into the villages to get something to eat. You remember the story that Jesus blessed the five loaves and two fishes and gave them to his disciples and they fed 5,000 men beside women and children. They did all eat, and were filled; and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full, this happened in this chapter only earlier.
Importance:
This message is important for all Christians as we witness the anointing and power that flowed out of Jesus after His mountain-top experience during His alone time with God the Father. There are times when long sessions of prayer are needed—no matter the circumstances. If Christ sensed the need, how much more should we.
Jesus sent the disciples across the lake and dismissed the crowd; then He got alone to pray. So much had happened; Jesus was just drained and exhausted. This sends all of us a message as well, when we have been used in God’s service, we too, need to go back to our source (God) alone for a replenishing of the Holy Spirit and God’s anointing. You cannot minister effectively with an empty vessel. Jesus has provided us with the perfect example of what happens when alone time is spent with your Heavenly Father. We want and need to imitate Jesus, a perfect example that our Heavenly Father has given us.
During this sermon I will answer 4 questions:
Why did Jesus constrain His disciples to go to the other shore?
What did Jesus discern about the multitudes?
Why did Jesus need time alone for prayer?
What did Jesus want His disciples to learn?
Why did Jesus constrain His disciples to go to the other shore?
Jesus constrained His disciples to go to the other shore because the disciples were caught up in the excitement of the miracle of feeding the 5,000 men plus women and children.
Jesus had to send them across the lake and disperse the crowd in order to calm the disciples and keep them from making a serious mistake. Additionally, He knew that they would be fighting a storm, and having to strain against a storm and the fight for survival would calm their excite-ment.
His calming the storm would prove that He is the Messiah and prove that He is in control of all things. It also would show that He knew the best way to proclaim that He is the Messiah.
He wanted the disciples to make use of what daylight remained for crossing the lake. It was time for Him to move on, for there were others that needed His ministry.
As I have mentioned time and time again, Jesus needed time alone for prayer and so should we!
What did Jesus discern about the multitudes?
What Jesus discerned about the multitudes and the disciples didn’t, was the feeding of the 5,000 men plus women and children, was a reminder of His time on the Mountain of Temptation. The First temptation of Jesus by Satan was to turn the rocks into bread. In this way, He could feed Himself and the world. Because He could feed the world, the world would gladly serve Him as king. As mentioned in my first sermon, this would have been the easy way out and not God’s plan for His life.
Jesus saw and knew because He had fed the 5,000 plus that they were ready to take Him by force and make Him King. Jesus knew that He could have secured the loyalty of men by feeding them. However, by meeting their physical needs, He would have failed them in meeting the spiritual needs of man. Thereby, teaching them the error that the physical is more important than the spiritual, as well as, that receiving is more important than giving. Satan was again testing Jesus to trust Himself and not God and take the easy way out.
This is a message to us loud and clear, anytime we are tempted to do something that represents the easy way out, beware this is a trap from Satan.
Why did Jesus need time alone for prayer
Jesus needed time alone for prayer for personal preparation. He needed to be renewed and strengthened. He was physically exhausted. He was mentally exhausted: His mind was so tired, it was probably like ours after intensive thought and labor—foggy.
He needed to be recharged with God’s power and with the singleness of heart to do God’s will. So much power had gone out of Him, He was spiritually drained. [Matt. 9:20] Remember the woman with the issue of blood, she said: “If I can but just touch the hem of His garment, I shall be made whole.”
We can glean many things from Jesus’ prayer place and time:
Jesus prayed from the top of a mountain. When a believer stands on top of a mountain and views the awesomeness of the country below, and sees the massiveness of God: His power, majesty, and glory, the believer gains a new perspective of God and man.
Jesus prayed in the evening. The evening is a tender and warm time, a time when a person who has worked ever so hard is very much aware of being drained and needing renewal. It is a time when a review of the day and a look ahead to tomorrow can take place.
Jesus prayed all alone. He needed to share with God face to face. He prayed until the fourth watch (3-6 a.m.), probably seven or more hours. I have heard that from 3-6 a.m. is when Satan and his demons are the most active.
What did Jesus want the disciples to learn?
There are many things that Jesus wanted His disciples to learn and this goes for us, as well. Here are some of the things He wanted them to learn:
We are mere people. We war to keep at our task which takes its toll, wears us down mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. We fight to keep our minds on Christ and struggle to maintain a moment-by-moment consciousness of His presence. Our only hope is to learn that Christ’s presence, a consciousness of His presence, is assured by prayer—much prayer. We must learn to spend much time alone with God.
A dedicated person lives in a mad rush and is bombarded time and again by distraction after distraction. Distractions are Satan’s main weapons that he uses to cause us to lose our focus on what we should be doing and tempts us to do something else. In order to avoid the pitfalls of distraction, we must remain strong and faithful to Christ by getting alone for prayer and renewal. Such is the way God has chosen to teach us to trust. We are not self-sufficient. If we want the assurance of His presence and if we are going to do what He has sent us into the world to do, we must spend time alone with Him.
Christ’s presence conquers fear. This is the point seen in the storm and the disciples’ experience in the storm. The storm arose while they were crossing the lake. The word “tossed” was used which means to be tossed about with great force. Notice that the disciples were doing what they were told to do, but the storm still came. How true of life: storms come upon the just, as well as, upon the unjust. [Matt. 5:45]
Jesus went to the disciples, but note how: He walked on the sea. However, He did not go to them immediately. Why?
Because He needed to teach them to trust Him and to obey His command no matter what happened to them. They were doing what He had told them to do, so they could trust His care and His will.
Because He needed to teach them to go about conquering the storms of life by using their own skill and strength. They needed to learn to use all the gifts they had in struggling against the storms of life. He would step in only after they had done all they could. Once their own strength and skill had been exhausted, the praise for salvation would go to God and His delivering power, and not to man.
The disciples were stricken with fear; they thought they were seeing a ghost. The physical and Note: We must do all we can do with a problem before God will step in. The mental condition of the disciples is important at this point. They were physically exhausted, having struggled against the storm for hours, and they were mentally drained from using all the skill at their disposal. Their lives were threatened, and they were struggling for survival. Then, out of nowhere they saw a figure, an apparition (ghost) walking on the water. They were frightened, perhaps thinking that the “death angel” or a premonition of their death was at hand, they screamed. Then, a voice shouted out: “It is I; be not afraid.”
Jesus gave assurance of His presence.
Jesus’ sudden presence on the water was a great encouragement to the disciples, yet they were not quite sure it was Him: “Lord, if it be thou.” His words and His presence are a marvelous revelation of His care and power to save us through the storms of life. [Matt. 28:20]
We should not turn back when storms arise, no matter how terrible the trial. Jesus is able to take the trials of life and make opportunities out of them. They give us experience in the life of faith. [Rom. 5:3-5]
This is human distress at its height, a terrifying experience. The thrust of the point is clear: we are helpless when caught in the greatest storms of life. Christ’s presence alone can save us through those storms. His presence alone can conquer our fears and give us hope and security.
Storms can be moments of sorrow, self-conflict, temptation, decision-making, or any adverse circumstance. Jesus is ever so near [He is right inside of you!] and ready to help those who will call out to Him. His presence is most assuring, comforting, and strengthening to the true disciple.
Christ’s presence stirred the hope of being saved.
When Peter Heard Christ’s voice, he was stirred.
Peter’s hope was stirred: He could be saved by Christ’s presence. Think of Peter’s condition. The physical and mental exhaustion. The hours of struggle for survival against the storm. The fear that strikes when thoughts of death face a person for so many long and unbroken hours. The fright of seeing a real apparition. The state of shock from confronting so much. Peter thought he was dying. At this point, Peter’s thoughts were on the love and power of Christ to save him. Christ was his only hope for being saved from death. So, Peter said to him: “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.”
Jesus’ command was, “Come.” The word is strong; Jesus was not merely giving Peter permission to come; He was commanding Peter. When a person sees that Jesus is his salvation, the command is there: “come.”
Peter’s faith faltered.
As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to walk on water, but once he looked on the waves, he began to sink.
There is a picture of salvation in this scene. A man’s hope is stirred: Christ’s presence can save him. He asks to join Christ and Christ commands “Come.” The man begins to walk toward Christ, passing over the turbulent waves of life. All of a sudden, he turns his attention away from Christ to the storms of life and begins to sink. He cries out in desperation, “Lord, save me,” and Christ reaches out and saves him. [Rom. 10:13]
The Lord’s presence is the answer to the storms of life—to all distressed spirits: “We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” [1 Pt. 1:1]).
Jesus saved Peter but rebuked his faltering faith.
He saves a person with little faith, but He rebukes it. [Lk 17:6]
Deliverance: Christ’s presence conquers nature.
He is the Messiah, the Sovereign Lord over all. He demonstrated His Messiahship, adding proof upon proof to this handful of believers to whom He was to entrust His cause. He brought peace to a sea that reeled to and fro for their sake. He would always be present to help them no matter the severity of the trial. They must know this, and they must learn that He could bring peace to any reeling and hopeless soul that will call upon Him. [Jn 14:27]
Confession—Decision—Worship:
Christ’s presence stirs confession and worship. The disciples experienced great relief—a drained, exhausted relief. They had been saved and delivered from the life-threatening storm by the power of Christ. There was no alternative, no other action to be taken: “They came and worshipped Him, saying, of a truth thou art the Son of God.” They understood more than ever before not perfectly, but enough to acknowledge Him as the Son of God.
Note: They not only professed belief, but they worshipped Him. There is a vast difference. [Mt. 10:32]
Conclusion:
Oh, praise the Lord Saints, Jesus is teaching us so much through this lesson. I hope that you learned that when you are doing what God has called you to do, there will be storms that will come up and try to get you to turn around or quit. Remember most of the time, these are attempts of Satan to get you to cave in and quit. But I want you to remember this example of the disciples in the boat, who had struggled and done all they knew to do, and were tired and feared that they were going to die. This is when Jesus showed up. He will not show up until you have done all you can or know to do!
You can rest assured that Jesus will show up when you are on your assignment doing what you were sent into this world to accomplish. Remember these trials or storms that come up while you are doing God’s work, are your testimonies. Testimonies that will bless and encourage others--that are on the battle field for the Lord. Testimonies that will help sinners see the love, presence and protection that Jesus has for His children. And in turn, they will see how you love the Lord and worship Him for all that He has done in your life.
My prayer is that the sinner man after hearing your testimony will learn that all he has to do is call upon the Lord to be saved! Jesus has promised that He will bring peace to any reeling and hopeless soul that will call upon Him with Godly sorrow!
Get ready, get ready, I pray that God will send many sinners across your paths, so you can give them your testimony and win many for Christ.
The significance of Peter walking on water is a powerful lesson on faith and focus. It teaches believers that with Christ, they can overcome impossible obstacles, but when they allow fear and doubt to distract them from Him, they will sink beneath the weight of their circumstances.
Additionally, it illustrates that faith requires stepping out of your comfort zone, keeping your eyes entirely on Christ, and recognizing that relying on His saving grace is the ultimate foundation of belief.
The significance of this biblical event for the modern believer encompasses several core tenets of faith.
Faith Requires Action:
Peter's willingness to step out of the secure boat into the tumultuous sea represents obedient action. Believers are called to take "leaps of faith" when God directs, even when circumstances are intimidating.
The Danger of Distraction:
When Peter kept his eyes on Jesus. He performed the impossible. However, when he noticed the strong wind and waves, he shifted his focus to his circumstances and began to sink. This serves as a warning for believers about what happens when earthly problems overshadow their spiritual focus.
Grace in Failure:
Peter did not sink because he tried and failed; he sank because of doubt. Yet, the moment he cried out, "Lord save me," Jesus immediately reached out and caught him. This reassures believers that falling into doubt does not mean complete failure, as Christ's grace is always available to rescue and restore.
The Sovereignty of God:
In ancient Near Eastern culture, deep water often symbolized chaos, death, and the unknown. Jesus walking on the water--and empowering Peter to do the same--demonstrated that Christ has absolute dominion over the chaotic, fearsome elements of life.
To understand the significance of Jesus walking on water in this sermon, consider the following:
Demonstration of Divine Power: It illustrates Jesus' authority over nature and the physical world.
Symbol of Faith: Peter's attempt to walk on water emphasizes the importance of faith and trust in Jesus.
Overcoming Fear: Jesus' presence calms the disciples' fears, teaching that faith can conquer anxiety.
Call to Discipleship: The event encourages believers to step out of their comfort zones and follow Jesus.
Reassurance of Presence: It reassures followers that Jesus is always with them, even in turbulent times.
Invitation to Trust: The story invites individuals to place their trust in Jesus amidst life's storms.
The ultimate takeaway from today's teaching is that radical faith requires keeping your focus entirely on Christ. When you face the "storms" of life, looking at your circumstances causes you to sink, but keeping your eyes on Jesus empowers you to overcome impossible odds.
Give the Lord a praise offering for His teaching today "Walking on Water Truly Provides a Framework for Christian Living!!" Amen, and So Let It Be Done!