I CAN WALK ON WATER
John 6:15-22
THE TEXT
15 Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again into the mountain himself alone.
16 And when evening came, his disciples went down unto the sea;
17 and they entered into a boat, and were going over the sea unto Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18 And the sea was rising by reason of a great wind that blew.
19 When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat: and they were afraid. (furlong 660 feet 3 to 4 miles sea of Galilee is 8 miles wide)
20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
21 They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat: and straightway the boat was at the land whither they were going.
22 On the morrow the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, save one, and that Jesus entered not with his disciples into the boat, but (that) his disciples went away alone
ASV
INTRODUCTION
After feeding the 5000 families, Jesus went up to the mountain alone
The crowd did not get taught Word of healing because of their desire to
Make Jesus king.
Let me suggest that Jesus sent the disciples in the boat across the Sea
Of Galilee alone as another test of their faith. They were tested to see if
They could not come up with a solution to feed the 5000 and failed.
The trip across the sea of Galilee was another test.
Once the 5000 men saw the miracle they remembered the scripture
Of the coming prophet who would be king Jerimiah 23:5 . They became a mob who wanted to force Jesus to be their king
Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
To prevent the 12 disciples from being taken by the mob, Jesus commanded them to get in a boat to travel to Capernaum Mark 6:45.
Jesus dismissed the crowd and went to the mountain to pray.
Points to consider as we look into the text
POINT 1 Jesus will protect you from danger
Jesus can create danger for you to teach you a lesson
POINT 2
God may not be in your boat, but He ought to be in your heart. Don’t leave without Him. It is one thing to be in church, but it is another thing to take the church with you,
POINT 3
No matter where you are, Jesus is looking down on you. You cannot get
To far where Jesus cannot see you From the mountain top, Jesus saw the
Disciples 3 to 4 miles out
POINT 4 Jesus may put you in troubled waters to teach you a lesson
John 6:17-18
17 and they entered into a boat, and were going over the sea unto Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18 And the sea was rising by reason of a great wind that blew.
Even the wisest and the strong can get confused and afraid in the dark.
(see Judges 7:19, 1 Samuel 14:20) The 12 disciples who were given the power and authority of healing multitudes, cast out demons and preaching the Gospel, became afraid when storm arose in the middle of the night
SIX MIRACLES IN THE TEXT
The localized storm in the night in middle of the sea of Galilee
John 6:18 And the sea was rising by reason of a great wind that blew.
Jesus walked on water in the storm
Mark 6:48 And seeing them distressed in rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them, about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking on the sea; and he would have passed by them:
John 6:19 When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat: and they were afraid.
Peter walked on water
Matt 14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto the upon the waters. 29 And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus.
Jesus controlled the wind and the waves. The storm ceased when Jesus stepped into the boat Mark 6:51 And he went up unto them into the boat; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves; 52 for they understood not concerning the loaves, but their heart was hardened.
The boat was immediately moved 4 miles to the shore of Capernaum
John 6:21 They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat: and straightway the boat was at the land whither they were going.
The disciples were awaken to the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God
Matt 14:33 And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
We see God’s miracles everyday. The problem is recognizing them as miracles.
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS TRIP ACROSS THE SEA
1 .Jesus designs trouble for our lives to train us, increase our faith
2.Jesus knows our struggles
Jesus saw His disciples struggling to control the boat from the mountain
Mark 6:48 And seeing them distressed in rowing, for the wind was
contrary unto them,
3. Expect Jesus to show up when you need Him
Mark 6:48 about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking on the sea; and he would have passed by them:
4. Jesus is waiting on you to call on Him
Mark 6:49 but they, when they saw him walking on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw, and were troubled.
Jesus is always in your midst waiting on you to call on Him in prayer
Don’t ever get to proud to cry out to Jesus. There is an indication that
Jesus would have left them struggling, until they called
5. You can be so busy serving that you missed the miracle in front of you
Mark 6:51-52
And he went up unto them into the boat; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves; 52 for they understood not concerning the loaves, but their heart was hardened.
The disciples participated in the miracle of feeding the 5000, but didn’t
Recognize that it was a miracle. They took the work of Jesus for granted.
Had they recognized the the miracle of the day, maybe they would have
Had faith that they would survive the storm.
6. It is up to you to receive the help of Jesus.
John 6:21 They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat:
You have to make a choice to let Jesus into your situation
7. You can walk on water if you put your faith in Jesus
God expect us to step out on faith beyond what we have experienced
Peter said to Jesus if it is you, tell me to come to you . He walked
On water for a while
Matt 14:30-32
But when he(Peter) saw the wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Peter stepped out of the boat in the midst of the storm and walk on water
While his eyes were on Jesus. He only began to sink when his focus turned to the storm. Peter began to doubt when he considered the storm. When Peter called again on Jesus ,He saved Him
It takes a storm to make us realize we need Jesus.
8. Jesus comforts us in the middle of the storm
Mark 6:50 for they all saw him, and were troubled. But he straightway
spake with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not
afraid.
9. Trouble don’t last long before God put us at peace.
As soon as Jesus stepped into the boat the storm ceased
THE LESSON TO THE CROWD
There are times when Jesus uses our selfishness to draw up into a
deeper study of the Word.
John 6:24 when the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled. 27 Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him the Father, even God, hath sealed.
The group of followers wanted to make Jesus King, but they also wanted more food. Jesus used the occasion to take them into a deeper study of the Word.
John 6:28 They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Belief in Jesus is a work we have to take on each day in every situation
SUMMARY
You can walk on water in the middle of your storm when you focus is on Jesus
When there is turmoil in your life, you can walk above it in peace
When you body need healing, You can walk above it in faith because God is your doctor
When you are worried about paying your bills. You can walk above them in confidence because Jesus is your provider
When you are troubled, you can walk above them, because God gives a peace above human understanding.
WHAT JESUS DID FOR PETER HE WILL DO FOR YOU
