Get Out of the Boat

by Mark Skinner
(Cushing, OK)

Get Out Of The Boat

By Mark Skinner
Southern Baptist

Matthew 14:22-32

At this point and time Jesus had just finished feeding the crowd with two fish and five loves of bread. But it was getting late and Jesus told his disciples to get in the boat and he would dismiss the crowd . He then went up on the mountain to pray. But around 3 in the morning he decided to go to the disciples but they were about a mile from shore. Jesus decided to walk on the water to them. When the disciples saw him they thought it was a ghost and were afraid. But Jesus told them to not be afraid that it was him. Peter upon hearing Jesus said Lord if it is you command me to come to you on the water. And Jesus said “come.”

Peter stepped out of the boat. Peter began walking on the water to Jesus.

The first thing I would like us to see is:

1. You Have To Get Out Of The Boat.

The boat was a comfort zone to Peter he was a fisherman. He had enough faith to think if Jesus can do this he can help me do it too. We as the church need to take a lesson from this. We need to get out of the boat. We need to get out of our comfort zone too. We need to take the message of Jesus to a lost and dying world around us. God did not call us to sit and slumber, he called us to go.

Mar 16:15 and he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

2. We Need To Keep Our Focus On Jesus.

Peter was fine as long as his focus was on Jesus but when he put his focus on his surroundings he began to sink. He knew there was a storm when he went out there but now his focus is on the storm and not Jesus. Don’t we do the same thing. We pay attention to our storms and not the one who can calm the storm. God has called us to be a life-saving station not a country club. Parable of the life-saving station

Why do we do what we do? Sometimes we lose our sense of purpose.

On a dangerous sea coast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves, went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Some of those who were saved and various others in the surrounding area wanted to become associated with the station and gave of their time and money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews trained. The little life-saving station grew.

Some of the members of the life-saving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it beautifully because they used it as a sort of club. Fewer members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work.

The life-saving motif still prevailed in the club’s decorations, and there was a liturgical life-boat in the room where the club’s initiations were held. About this time a large ship wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boat loads of cold, wet and half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick. The beautiful new club was in chaos. So the property committee immediately had a shower house build outside the club where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting, there was a split among the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s life-saving activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon life-saving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own life-saving station. So they did.

As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. It evolved into a club, and yet another life-saving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that sea coast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.

3. Peter Knew He Was In Trouble And Yelled Lord Save Me.

Peter had the good sense to yell Lord save me. Whatever you are going through Jesus can save you he is the only one who can. Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me.

Lost person god loves you and wants a relationship with you that is real and personal. We are all sinners. Rom 3:23 for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of god.

There is a penalty for sin. Rom 6:23 for the wages of sin is death; but the gift of god is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The key to it all is a relationship to Jesus. Rom 10:9 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that god hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

What will you do with Jesus? Be like Peter and yell Lord save me!!!!!!