· ·How
many of you remember "Lil’ Abner"?
· "Lil’ Abner was a comic strip
· Back in the 1950's & 60's
· About a Hillbilly family
· One of the characters was a fellow
· Named "Joe Bltsflk"
· He was a dark & gloomy character
· Who always had a little thunderstorm
· Hanging over his head
· He was humorous
· Because so many of us felt like that
· Like we too have our own private storm
· Always raining down on our lives
· Paul
Harvey tells the story of a woman
· Named Patricia Christy
· He 1st ran into her in Florida
· Standing in line waiting for food
· Following the devastation
· Of Hurricane Andrew
· She vowed she was going
· To get out of that state
· She was going to get as far away as possible
· From the horror of hurricanes
· & Have a peaceful vacation
· Paul Harvey says
· He then heard from her a second time
· This
time she was standing in line
· Waiting for fresh water
· She was on the Hawaiian island of Kauai
· Having just gone through
· Hurricane Iniki
· Like Joe Bltsflk, she seemed to have
· Her own private storm
· Hanging over her head
· The
disciples probably felt
· A little like Joe Bltsflk too
· They had just seen Jesus
· Feed over 5,000 people
· With just 5 loaves of bread
· & 2 fish
· When He tells them
· To row to the other side
· Of the Sea of Galilee
· It was late in the day
· When they set out
· & Soon it became dark
· A storm came up
· & Blew them far away from the shore
· They were tired
· Not having slept since the night before
· & Now rather than resting
· They are rowing with all their might
· Fighting off the wind & waves
· Their lives were not in immediate danger
· But this chore Jesus had given them
· Had become a major struggle
· · Have you ever felt like that?
· Have you ever felt like
· God has called you to serve Him
· & You are working harder & harder
· & Getting tireder & tireder
· Plus you are attacked by people
· From all sides
· It seems to be a common problem
· For people called by Christ
· Paul
Cedar was called by God
· In the early 1970's
· To leave a very successful pastoral ministry
· In southern California
· & Begin a non-profit ministry
· That would reach out & minister to
· Pastors & local churches
· The new ministry took off
· & Was doing well
· Unfortunately the cash flow
· Was not doing so well
· Plus Cedar was constantly being attacked
· By Satan
· In battles that left him feeling
· Embarrassed / Discouraged / Disillusioned / Even humiliated
· One evening as he was driving
· To another ministry engagement
· He cried out to God in pain & frustration
· He rehearsed all the sacrifices
· He had made in obedience to God
· · He reminded the Lord
· Of the embarrassment & humiliation
· He had experienced
· Finally he cried out in utter despair
· "Lord, why don’t You just take my life?"
· I’ve felt like that at times
· & I am sure many of you
· Have felt the same way
· The disciples may have even felt
· The same way
· Straining at the oars
· Exhausted
· With no end in sight
· Of this task Jesus had given them
· "Lord, why don’t You just take my life?"
· Do you know what God said to Paul Cedar
· That night?
· As soon as he asked God that question—
· "Lord, why don’t You just take my life?"
· God said to him very gently,
· "Son, I already have taken your life."
· Folks,
when you gave your life to Christ
· He took it
· But a lot of us still remain a little confused
· About what it means
· To live our lives in Christ
· Obviously it does not mean we will
· Never have any troubles or any problems
· · It does not mean there will not be
· Any storms in our lives
· It did not mean that for the disciples
· It did not mean that for Paul Cedar
· & It does not mean that for you & me
· So — What does a life in Christ look like?
· We get a glimpse at the answer to this
· In our scripture lesson today
· As
we have noticed
· Just because you are a Christian
· Does not mean you will be free from
· All the storms in your life
· But it does mean we are not alone
· In the storms
· Jesus realized the disciples
· Were being battered by the storm
· There on the Sea of Galilee
· So He came to them
· The wind, the waves —
· Not even the Sea itself —
· Could keep Jesus from coming
· To His disciples
· He just walked out on the water
· & Came to them
· Now
when Peter realized it was Jesus
· Who was walking toward them
· He made a really strange request
· He said, "Lord, if it’s really You, tell me to
come to You by walking on water."
· · Now a lot of folks have debated over
· Why Peter made such a request of Jesus
· Did he doubt that this was Christ?
· Did he think it might have really been a ghost?
· & What if it had not been Christ?
· If he had heard a call to come
· & It was not Jesus
· Would he have drowned that night?
· Obviously we do not know all the answers
· But one thing is certainly clear
· Peter did not do anything
· Until the Lord called him
· Peter stayed right where he was
· Until Jesus said, "Come"
· This is an interesting problem for churches
· Since we are always looking
· For volunteers
· But Peter did not volunteer
· To get out of the boat
· He waited to be called
· It seems that at least one lesson from this is
· That God is not looking for
· Enthusiastic volunteers
· He is looking for
· Obedient servants
· That means we all need to be in prayer
· Asking God to open our eyes & ears
· As we seek to hear His call on our lives
· To serve Him here in His church
· Peter
called out to Jesus
· & Then he listened
· & We must do the same
· Prayer is at the very heart of discerning
· God’s will for our lives
· We need to hear His call
· Before we just jump into the water
· Now
when Peter called to Jesus
· Jesus said, "Come."
· & Right there everything came to a climax
· Folks, Peter was a fisherman
· He has spent his whole life
· On the Sea of Galilee
· He has certainly lost friends & neighbors
· During other storms on the Sea
· Persons who have drowned
· In its waters
· Peter knows he is safe
· So long as he is on the boat
· The wind is howling
· The waves are crashing all around him
· The boat is being tossed & turned
· Like a cork on the ocean
· & Jesus has said, "Come"
· Peter can stay on the boat
· & Ignore Jesus’ call
· Or he can step out of the boat
· Out of his security
· Out of his comfort zone
· Out into the storm itself
· · With nothing but water
· Underneath his feet
· What
would you do?
· Would you say to yourself,
· "I must have misunderstood!"
· "There is a lot of noise."
· "Surely I did not hear Jesus correctly!"
· "Surely He did not call me
· "To leave the boat
· " & Walk on the water!"
· That is what many of us do, isn’t it?
· "Surely God did not mean for me
· "To do that!"
· As I said earlier, this story is about
· What our life in Christ looks like
· When Jesus calls you
· He calls you to leave
· Your comfort zone
· & He calls you to do things
· You cannot possibly do without Him
· Jesus called:
· Peter to get out of the boat
· The disciples to leave
· Their nets & their families
· The rich young ruler
· To go & sell all he had
· Martin Luther to leave
· The Catholic Church—
· The only church at the time
· John
Wesley to work outside
· The Church of England
· The circuit riders to leave their homes
· & Take the gospel into the Wilderness
· Folks, Jesus calls us
· To leave our comfort zones
· To step out of our boats
· When our Christian lives
· Start getting really comfortable
· We need to check to make sure
· We are still living in Christ
· Because a life in Christ
· Is a life lived outside the boat
· Out on the open waters
· Now
when Peter got out of the boat
· & Began to walk toward Jesus
· The storm did not stop
· The wind kept right on blowing
· The waves were just as rough as before
· I do not know who it was
· That taught us that when we began
· To walk with Christ
· Our lives were all going
· To be "hunky-dory"
· It is true—
· You will have peace in your life
· But it is a peace that passes
· All human understanding
· Because it is a deep inner
· Sense of peace
· · That is present right in the middle
· Of some of life’s roughest storms
· But the storms just keep on coming
· The storms of life do not stop
· Just because you have stepped
· Out of the boat
· Just because you have decided
· To follow Jesus
· The disciples followed Jesus all their lives
· & All but John were martyred
· & John was exiled
· Paul was stoned
· Martin Luther had a warrant on his life
· John Hus & John Wycliffe were martyred
· John Wesley was stoned
· The average life span
· Of a Methodist circuit rider
· Was less than 12 years
· From the time he began his ministry
· Folks, our lives in Christ will be spent
· "Smack-dab" in the middle of
· Some of the greatest storms there are
· But just in case you have forgotten
· Let me remind you who it was
· That enabled Peter
· To walk on the water
· Every time Peter put his foot down
· Jesus’ hand was there to hold him up
· & Notice this — the wind & the waves
· Did not blow him over
· Nor knock him down
· · Peter walked
· Because Jesus enabled him to walk
· & When we walk with Jesus
· He enables & empowers us
· To do the impossible things
· He has called us to do
· & He will enable us to do these things
· Even in the middle
· Of the fiercest storm
· Satan can ever throw our way
· Peter walked
· Because he was called by Christ
· & Because he obeyed Christ’s call
· Peter walked by faith
· Of
course, it is at this point
· That Peter’s humanity becomes so clear
· The wind & the waves of the storm
· Were howling all around him
· & Peter looked at the storm
· Folks, who among us has not done that?
· The storms of life are horrendous!
· They terrify us!
· They threaten us!
· They wear us out!
· It is virtually impossible
· To go through life
· & Not look at the storms
· The problem is in how
· We react to the storms
· Peter
was out of the boat
· He was walking on the water
· Miles away from the land
· It was night
· The storm was raging all around him
· You can almost hear him thinking,
· "What am I doing?!"
· "Why am I out here on the water?!"
· "I must be nuts!"
· Peter was terrified
· & He began to sink
· Like many of us
· Peter had heard Christ’s call
· He obeyed
· He got out of the boat
· & Started walking
· But the storm terrified him
· Even though he had trusted Jesus
· At the beginning
· His faith began to waver
· When he felt the force of the storm
· Without the safety of the boat
· Folks, our walk with Christ
· Involves a question that gets repeated
· Over & over & over again
· Every day of our lives
· Jesus just keeps asking us,
· "Do you trust Me?"
· Do you trust Him?
· Do you trust Jesus:
· When He calls you?
· · When you get out of your "boat"?
· Out of your comfort zone?
· When you start your "walk of water"?
· Doing the impossible for Christ?
· When the storms are raging
· All around you?
· Do you trust Him?
· When Jesus calls you
· No one wants to know about your faith
· No one wants to hear about
· All your philosophies of right & wrong
· When Jesus calls you
· He calls you to obey
· He calls you to trust Him
· He calls you to have faith
· & In your obedience
· Your faith is made real
· & As you continue
· To believe Him & to trust Him
· Step by step by step
· Jesus will continue to carry you
· As He builds His kingdom
· Through you!
· But
Peter stumbled
· The storm was too much for him
· He was terrified
· & He began to sink
· & As I said before
· Who among us has not done that?
· But
right at that moment
· Peter prayed perhaps the
· Shortest & the most effective prayer
· In the Bible
· Peter said, "Save me, Lord!"
· Peter knew his whole life
· Depended upon Jesus
· He did not call to the disciples
· To throw him a rope
· He prayed, "Save me, Lord!"
· & Matthew tells us,
· "Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and grabbed
him."
· I wish
I could tell you
· That I have never been terrified
· In the storms of my life
· That I have never doubted God
· That I have always trusted Christ
· But I cannot!
· Like you, I too am human
· I too have asked, "Lord, where are You?"
· & I too have prayed, "Save me, Lord!"
· But I can tell you this
· God is faithful
· He can be trusted
· Every time I have started to sink
· & Have prayed for the Lord to save me
· He has instantly reached out His hand
· & Grabbed me
· Jesus
does not want us to drown
· He does not want us
· To be blown away by the storm
· Jesus wants us to stand secure
· In the arms of His grace
· Serving Him
· Doing the impossible
· Building His kingdom
· Right in the middle of the storm
· When you start to slip in your faith
· Call out to Christ
· I promise —
· He will instantly reach out His hand
· & Grab you!
· He will save you!
· Gladys
Aylward was a missionary to China
· More than 50 years ago
· When the Japanese invaded Yangcheng
· She was forced to flee
· But she could not leave her work behind
· So with one assistant
· She led more than 100 orphans
· Over the mountains toward Free China
· One night she felt particularly down
· She did not sleep at all
· When morning came she had no hope
· Of ever reaching safety
· The "storm" was blowing hard
· There was a 13-year old girl
· In the group with her
· · Who reminded her
· Of her favorite Bible story
· The story of Moses & the Israelites
· Crossing the Red Sea
· But Gladys just cried out in desperation
· "But I am not Moses!"
· & Very calmly this 13-year old girl said,
· "Of course you aren’t."
· "But God is still God!"
· Folks,
nowhere in the Bible does it say
· That our walk with Christ will be easy
· It says He will call us:
· To leave our comfort zones
· To do the impossible
· & To do all this
· Right in the middle of
· The wildest storms you can imagine
· But it also says He will be with us
· He will enable you
· To walk on the water
· & He will save you
· When you stumble & fall
· It is true—being a Christian
· Is a very tough job!
· But folks, God is still God!
· & In His hands we can do all things
· & We can persevere in & by His grace
· Until that day
· When He places us in His "boat"
· &
The winds & the waves & the storm
· All stop
· & We live in His perfect peace forever
AMEN
