Walk on the Water
How Jesus Increases Our Faith
MAT 14:14-33
A. The Lecture: An explanation. Responding to Need stretches our faith. Compassion taps the miracle working power of God.
1. The disciples wanted to avoid the challenge of feeding the people
2. Jesus wanted to show them that God can produce multiplication and increase from our willingness to offer to Him whatever we have.
3. The miracle of provision feed some 15,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves
4. The disciples saw the miracle first hand. A miracle of provision and increase.
5. There we 12 baskets full of fragments of the meal [one for each of the doubtful disciples]
B. The Lab: A demonstration. Jesus made them get into a boat and prepare to cross the lake.
1. He sent them on a “lab” to allow them to apply what they learning: “How God can produce multiplication and increase from our willingness to offer to Him whatever we have.”
2. Jesus stayed behind to have a time of prayer with God
a. Notice his priorities vs. the priorities of His disciples
b. Jesus was not concerned about how He would get across the lake
c. It is not that He failed to have a plan, He simply trusted God to get Him where he needed to be.
3. They encountered a storm and Jesus was not with them.
4. At 3:00am, Jesus decided it was time to go, but He did not have a boat, so he started out walking
5. In the midst of the small storm, Jesus came walking on the water
C. The Learning: A demonstration. Peter did something that no man had ever done.
1. This would not have happened without the experience of the miracle of provision earlier that day.
2. Peter had it in his heart and mind that Jesus is not bound by physical laws. For a moment, he tapped into the raw power of God and suspended his confidence in everything except God.
3. Peter walked on the water as long as he had confidence in the word “Come”
a. He began to sink when he focused on the circumstances
b. But Jesus was there to help him and rebuke him
c. How did they get back to the boat? The walked!
4. We would not have any reservations about the things we could do if Jesus was physically with us. Jesus was training His disciples how to operate by faith in His unseen presence and power.
a. From the beginning of His ministry Jesus knew that He would not be with them for long.
b. Blessed are those who believe without seeing. We don’t want to be like doubting Thomas.
D. The Lesson: An application. We too can “walk on water” in the circumstances of life
1. You can learn and gain confidence from the blessings and miracles that God has worked in your life
2. You can take the challenge to do the seemingly impossible (like feeding 15,000 people)
2. You can give to God everything He requires and receive everything you need in return
3. You can rise above the storms of life, and your fear of storms
4. You can get out of your little boat of comfort and complacency to do something extraordinary for God
5. You can overcome the doubts of others
6. You can take Jesus at His word when He says “Come”; suspend your fear, activate your faith
7. If you can believe all of this: You WILL go to a higher place of worship and realization of the awesome power of God.
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