The first thing you've got to do if you're going to walk on your circumstance is to ask permission to enter into the realm of the supernatural. But Dr. Tony Evans says we need to be close enough to Jesus to hear his response.
Because if Jesus and you aren't close, even if he says come, you won't hear it. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. When our plans and dreams are blown away, Dr. Evans says the Lord is still in control of those who trust in him. Today we'll see how the storms of life can actually benefit us when we have the courage to listen and respond to Christ.
Here's Dr. Evans. A lady was getting dressed to go out to an event with her husband. When Russia was getting ready, her husband rushed in and said, we have a problem. We're not going to be able to go to our event. She says, well, what do you mean we're not going to be able to go? He says, well, the car is not working. The car is broken. She says, well, what happened with the car? He said, there's water in the carburetor and so the car won't start. She said, what do you mean there's water in the carburetor? You know nothing about cars. She said, where's the car?
He said, at the bottom of the swimming pool, so there's water in the carburetor. Sometimes things are actually worse than we want to admit. We go around and we'll say, well, I'm okay, but things are worse than we're willing to admit. I introduced a unique story of Jesus sending his disciples across the Sea of Galilee. If you recall, Jesus told his disciples to go to the other side. When Matthew tells the story, he tells more of the story than any of the others.
He gives us more data, more information than Mark and Luke and John. He tells us in Matthew chapter 14 verse 22 that Jesus made the disciples get into the boat. He had to convince them, one version says, to get into the boat. They didn't want to leave.
They didn't want to leave for two reasons. They didn't want to leave Jesus, but they knew the weather forecast wasn't in their favor. These are guys who lived on the water. These were fishermen. They lived on the Sea of Galilee and they knew things looked shaky.
And this is not a good time to go, especially when we're going to go later in the evening. It's not a good time, so Jesus had to force them out. So he makes them get in the boat and go to the other side.
Sometimes God will put you in challenging situations that you can't avoid because he's going to force it on you. He made them go. As you remember the story, as they were going, when they got to the middle, they hit this weather storm. They hit the weather storm, and when they hit this weather storm, it says that they were battered by the waves in verse 24, for the wind was contrary. In other words, the wind was blocking them to get where they were told to go. So they were told to go here, but the wind was blowing here, so they couldn't get there because they were being resisted. And the resistance was outside of their control. The wind was contrary to them. As you recall, not only that, but it was the fourth watch of the night.
That's 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. So they're trying to make it in darkness. They can't see. So they've been forced to go where they don't want to go.
They're being blocked to get there by circumstances out of their control. It's dark because they've been out there so long now. Night has set in, and the wind is so contrary, they've been out there for hours trying to make it, so that means they're tired. Then on top of all of that, we're told that the disciples saw Jesus, verse 26, walking on the sea, and they were terrified. It is a ghost, and they cried out in fear. So now they see somebody walking on the water in the dark while they're tired, because they've been out there all day in a place they didn't want to be in the first place.
So they are terrified. Things have gone from bad to worse. Then Jesus comes, and He says in verse 27, Take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid.
Some of the versions say, Be of good cheer. In other words, I want you to rejoice in your bad situation. You don't want to be here. The weather is against you. You're tired. It's dark. It looks like a ghost, Casper the unfriendly ghost, is all up on you. And I want you to rejoice, because I'm in charge of this situation, this bad situation that you're in. I'm here.
Do not be afraid. We're told that Jesus got to them walking on the water. So I want to talk to you today, me today, and us today, about you starting to walk on water.
I want to create some water walkers today. Because now we come to the part of the story that Luke and Mark and John don't talk about, but Matthew does. We're told in verse 28, Peter said to him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.
Peter says, Lord, I heard what you just said. If it is you, if I'm really hearing from you, I want you to tell me to come to join you in a stormy situation. The storm has not subsided yet.
The winds are still blowing. Jesus has come to them on top of the problem, because the problem has not yet been solved. Their fear, their storm, all of the negative things are still right in front of them, and Jesus comes to them on the problem. They didn't recognize Him because they weren't looking for Him.
See, because a lot of times when you're in a stormy situation, you are looking for Jesus because you've been so overwhelmed by the presence of the storm and the negative circumstances that it's causing you consternation, fear, anxiety. But Peter is different. Peter says, I heard what you just said.
You said, take carriage. In His eye, don't be afraid. So I want you to tell me to join you on top of the problem, because Jesus came to them on top of the problem. I'm with 11 other guys who are terrified. I'm with my peeps. And they're scared to death because we're in this bad situation, but you're walking on top of it.
I want to hang out with you on top of it rather than them who are succumbing to it. But I'm not going to do that unless you tell me I can. So He says, bid Me, command Me to come to you on the water. So if you're going to start walking on water, the first thing you've got to do is ask permission. He says, bid Me come to you, because if you try to walk on water and it hasn't been okayed, you're going to drown.
He asks permission to walk on top of a problem. He's asking for, watch this, a personal word to Him. Jesus has given a general word to all. He says to all of them, be not afraid, it is I.
He tells that to everybody. Peter says, I don't just want a general word, I want you to bid Me to come. When we return to Dr. Evans in just a moment, he'll have more for us on receiving the same personal word from the Lord that Peter desired. First though, today's message is part of an enlightening sermon collection called Having Faith During Fear. This six-lesson set explores ways to hold on when you feel like giving up. You'll discover how to weather the storms of life and how to reverse the consequences of spiritual failures.
No matter what circumstances you're facing, Having Faith During Fear will show you how to get your life headed in a new and more hopeful direction. This audio collection is available to you on CD or MP3 as our way of saying thanks when you make a donation to the alternative. And for a limited time, we'll even include an added bonus, our Hope for the Hurting Leader Kit, perfect for both leading a small group study and for your own personal growth. In this Bible study, Dr. Evans offers spiritual principles for facing life's pains and hurts.
Love and happiness are possible if we learn how to walk through the hurt with peace and joy. The Leader Kit not only includes a copy of the Hope for the Hurting book, but also a study guide, printed content for six study sessions, teaching videos and session previews from Dr. Evans, and more. Visit TonyEvans.org for details on this special offer, or call us at 1-800-800-3222, where our resource team members will be happy to assist with your request. Again, that's TonyEvans.org, or by phone any time of the day or night at 1-800-800-3222.
We'll hear more from Dr. Evans right after this. In a world shrouded by fear, prophecy seeks to make sense of it all. Dr. Tony Evans' latest book, Thy Kingdom Come, reveals the secrets to deliver us through dark times. Now is the time to gain clarity in the midst of confusion. Be prepared for what's to come by picking up your copy of Thy Kingdom Come at TonyEvans.org. It comes with a bonus sermon series, Staying Right with God.
Arm yourself against the impending storm. Let's review. The Bible is grafe, means the writings. What is written in this book or on your device, the Word of God, is grafe. It's what is written.
If it's sitting on your shelf, if it's sitting on the coffee table, whether it's closed or open, it is the written Word of God, and that is the grafe. Then there is the logos. The logos is the content and meaning of what is written. Grafe is the fact that it's written.
Logos is what is written, what it says, and what it means. So there is grafe, there is logos, and then there is rhema. Rhema is a personal word. It is a word with your name on it. It is a specific word to you. If you hold the Word of God, you've got grafe.
If you read it and seek to understand it, you're now dealing with logos. But when you need to hear something with your name on it, that's rhema. Peter says, I want rhema. I want you to bid me to—I ain't talking about what you say to them. I want you to bid me to come and walk on water. So he makes a personal request for Jesus to give him a personal okay for him to operate in the supernatural. And he's the only one who made the request. There are only two people who have ever walked on water in the Bible.
Jesus and Peter. Nobody else has ever walked on water, but nobody else has ever requested it. He specifically asks, bid me come to you. I want to walk on water. So the question is, what does it mean to walk on water? Remember, the waves are billowing because of the wind. It's a stormy situation. It's so much that they're scared, and many of them are professional fishermen.
So for them to be scared, it really must be bad. So the water was a tumultuous situation created by the wind that brought a threat to their well-being. So whenever you have a situation in your life that is tumultuous, that threatens your well-being, and you know it's controlling your emotions because, like them, you're terrified about the repercussions, whenever all of that happens, that is your water. Walking on water means you're on top of it.
It's not swallowing you. Water means that even in the turmoil of what's going on, the billows, the waves, the threats, all of the things that are seeking to overwhelm you, even in the midst of that, Jesus bid me to walk on it like you walking on it, to not drown in it like you're not drowning in it, to not be terrified by it like you're not terrified by it. Tell me to come. I ask for permission. So he makes a prayer request. We'll call it that, because he's asking for permission. Jesus gives him a one-word permission, because he says in verse 29, come.
One word, come. The first thing you've got to do if you're going to walk on your circumstance and not drown in them is to ask permission to enter into the realm of the supernatural, because the natural is sucking you under. Once you ask permission, you must listen for a response, because he didn't do anything until he heard, come. But if you're in a tumultuous situation, you have to be close enough to Jesus to hear the response, because if Jesus and you aren't close, even if he says, come, you won't hear it. But he heard Jesus say, come, in the turmoil. So you make the request, and then you listen for the Rhema word, where he tells you what to do. I am speaking to you today from grafe, from what's written in the word. I'm trying to explain what it means.
That's logos. But what you need for your turmoil is Rhema. So you want to ask God, tell me something about what I should do in my situation, because everybody's is different. Oh, we all share the same problem.
They just come in different wrappings. So in the turmoil that they can do nothing about, he says, give me permission. Let me hear what you want me to do. Come, Peter, because the word of God, Rhema, when it is spoken, has embedded power in it. When Jesus says come, it's like when God says, let there be light, and there was light.
The embedded light was in the command for light. God didn't have to say, let there be light and go find a bulb. In other words, once God says something, his answer is embedded in his statement. That's why the word of God is powerful. But now we're talking about the word of God for you personally, not just the sermon generally. So I'm speaking the sermon generally, but there's somebody here in a tumultuous situation who needs to hear a personal word.
What do you want me to do in my unique situation, which is the job of the Holy Spirit, to personalize the logos to your circumstance? But you've got to be close enough to hear him say come. So the first thing you've got to do is make the request.
Second thing you've got to do is listen for the response. But then there's something else you've got to do because it says in verse 29, and Peter got out of the boat. You can't make your request, hear the response, and stay where you are. He got out of the boat. Jesus said come, and he didn't stay. See, because you can hear what God says and not move on it.
But if you don't move on it, what he says will lie dormant, not because his statement was dormant, but because there wasn't a response. So he had to get out of the boat. So if you're going to walk on water, you must be willing to leave your comfort zone. Walking on water means you've got to take a risk. But it's a calculated risk because you've asked permission and you've heard from heaven.
But you must be willing to take the risk. Now, Peter's the only one willing to take this risk. There's 12 people in this boat. Eleven of them say, I ain't going nowhere.
They don't even make the request. So we can have a bunch of people right now in the same situation, but only one person see a miracle. Only one person sees the supernatural, even though we may all be in the same boat. We didn't come over here in different ships, but we're in the same boat now. And if you're in that boat and you've got other people in that boat, and the boat is full of Christians. The disciples are in the boat with it. You've got James and John and Matthew, and he's got the other disciples.
They're Christians too. But just because you're saved doesn't mean that you're willing to leave the boat. Just because you're on your way to heaven doesn't mean you're willing to take the risk of faith. Only one did it, and that's why only one person is walking on water. But what God wants to raise up in our lives personally and in us collectively are water walkers.
People who will take risk on the supernatural. He gets out of the boat. And Peter joins Jesus walking on the problem that was causing them to be terrified. See, one of the ways you know you're walking with Jesus is that the circumstances are no longer calling the shots, even though they haven't changed. The circumstances haven't changed. You'll see that in a moment. That's still in stormy weather. Nothing has changed, except he's walking on it.
It's not walking on him. And to do that sometimes, you've got to leave the crowd behind. The folks who don't want to leave the boat because they've been in the boat too long.
They've been in their comfort zone too long. Dr. Tony Evans will return in a moment with a final word to wrap up today's message. In the meantime, I want to encourage you to pick up your copy of Tony's audio collection that today's message was drawn from.
The series is called Having Faith During Fear. As I mentioned earlier, all six full-length messages in this collection are yours as our thank you gift when you make a contribution to help keep the alternative coming your way. Included with this offer for a limited time is our Hope for the Hurting Leader Kit, perfect for both group study and for your own personal journey in facing life's pains and hurts with the Lord's peace and comfort. Just contact us at TonyEvans.org to request this special package before time runs out, or give us a call day or night at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our resource team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222 or online at TonyEvans.org. We'll return to Dr. Evans to wrap up today's message right after this.
The Bible makes it clear that you know when God has cursed a land, when its fathers are nowhere to be found. Dr. Tony Evans says that what becomes of the next generation of men depends on what happens with this one. Our kids need to see men in their midst who love God and who love them. But what does it take to be that kind of man?
You can find out with the help of the Tony Evans Training Center's free course called Kingdom Man. It'll teach you to see past the phony images of manhood that society surrounds us with and become the loving leader that a wife and family would want to follow. As with all of our courses, there's in-depth study material you can work through at your own pace. Lots of exclusive content from Tony, tightly focused Q&A videos, and an online forum where you can collaborate with other students. It's almost like having a seminary on your smartphone. Check out the free course called Kingdom Man and the growing list of other subjects waiting for you.
Visit TonyEvans.org today and follow the link to the Tony Evans Training Center. When we consider only what's visible around us, we won't be able to take in a complete picture of reality. Tomorrow, Dr. Evans shows us how developing a spiritual focus is essential to staying afloat in the middle of life's burdens. Right now, though, he's back with this final story for today. See, in order for a turtle to go somewhere, it's got to stick its neck out first. A turtle doesn't stick its neck out, it's not moving. Only when it sticks its neck out, and until you're willing to take the risk of faith, based on the request that has been responded to, you'll never walk on water. You'll never experience the supernatural. You'll just listen to somebody else tell you about theirs.
