In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of getting closer to Jesus in the Christian life. He uses the story of Peter walking on water to illustrate this point. The preacher highlights that victory in the Christian life is achieved one step at a time, and that we should not worry about the future but focus on taking each step with Jesus. He also emphasizes that Jesus knows when we are facing overwhelming pressure and will come to encourage us. The preacher concludes by reminding listeners to keep their minds on God's word and promises, as this will help them overcome any situation.

Four of the miracles in John's Gospel last Sunday. We want to look today at John's Gospel chapter 6. In John's Gospel chapter 6 verses 16 to 21, we read of the miracle of Jesus walking on the water. This miracle is given in greater detail in Matthew 14. And there are certain details given there which are not given here. So, I'm going to turn there so that we can look at it in greater detail. But it is one of the signs that John refers to. We're looking at the theme of God can solve every problem. And so the same passage that is mentioned in John 6 verse 16 to 21, we see in greater detail in Matthew chapter 14 and verse 22. And here we read immediately of Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side while he sent the multitudes away. You remember last time we considered that Jesus was feeding the multitude. And he sent the multitude away. And he himself, we read in verse 23, went up to a mountain to pray. And it says here that he compelled, the word there in verse 22, he made the disciples get into the boat. In the margin of my Bible it says he compelled his disciples to get into the boat and go. And in other words, they didn't want to go. But he forced them to go. And they got in and obeyed him. And what was the result? What is the result when you obey the Lord? It says here in verse 24 that the boat was battered by the waves for the wind was contrary. Is that what we expect when we obey the Lord? To face storms and contrary winds. See that's not what many Christians think the Christian life is. They think that it's when you disobey the Lord that you have problems. And if you obey the Lord you have no problems. But it's not like that. In Psalm 34 it says many are the affliction of the righteous. But the Lord delivers from all of them. That's the good part of it. And so God does not protect us just because we are believers. From the problems and difficulties that other people in the world face. But he promises to be with us and give us grace to overcome. That's why we're different from all the unbelievers in the world. And we'll see that God has a purpose in permitting these storms and difficulties to come. Because a lot of people when they come to Christ they think oh well all my problems are over now. No they're just beginning. In fact till now you were on the devil's side and he didn't bother you. But now you got on to the other side and he's really going to bother you. But you're now going to experience that what John says greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. And that is to prove that to us that the Lord allows us to face opposition from Satan. And from the world and the storms and the waves against us in life. Because if we didn't have such difficulties and trials we would never get to know the Lord. And that's the reason why God allows us to face difficulties and trials. And so here this miracle of Jesus walking on the water still in the storm. More than once he did it still in the storm was to teach his disciples not only the power that he had over nature. But also to teach them spiritual lessons. That in the storms of life and the storms of temptation that they could overcome. And that's what we want to look at as we go through this passage. So imagine if the disciples had disobeyed the Lord. We saw that the Lord compelled them to go. Supposing they had disobeyed. They would never have faced the storm. They'd have been sitting comfortably on land. And very often we find in the world that a lot of people who disobey God seem to have an easy time through life. The Bible is very realistic. It's when we obey the Lord that we face the storms. But look at the experience these people had. Look at the experience we read here that Peter also walked on the water. Imagine having that experience. And so the Christian life becomes exciting. There's a verse in Proverbs 14.14 which is quoted in the Living Bible as, The godly man's life is exciting. It's exciting because there are storms and Jesus comes and stills the storm. He teaches us to overcome in the difficult situations we face. He shows us how we can be at rest when there's storms around us. Which the unbeliever cannot experience. And the Lord leads us from one degree of trial to a higher degree of trial. Because he wants to make us stronger. So the purpose of all the storms and trials that you face in your life are to help you to know the Lord better. And to make you spiritually stronger. Imagine how boring the gospel records would have been. If it had been written like this. Well that Jesus went to a marriage. Of course there was plenty of wine. There was no shortage. And they had a good time. And came home. Or there were five thousand people there listening to him. And fortunately they'd all brought food with them. So there was plenty of food for them to eat. They had a good time and went home. Or they got into a boat and it was a calm lake. And they went smoothly across to the other side. And if every story in the Bible is like this. It would have been boring. I mean even the children wouldn't want to listen to such stories. But the exciting thing is that always there was a problem. And Jesus could solve it. And these things are written for our instruction. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The Bible is realistic. It doesn't pretend that we won't face problems. We will. And we are supposed to. And the more wholeheartedly we follow Jesus. The more we will face them. But in those problems we will find Jesus giving us the grace to triumph over them. And through it getting to know him better than if we had not faced the problem. There was another time we read before this. When Jesus was in the boat. And they faced a storm. And they woke him up. And he still the storm. This time we read. He was not in the boat. And they faced a storm. You see how the Lord led them. From one degree of trial to a higher one. He first tests us. Allows us to face storms. Easier storms and then more difficult ones. First he was in the boat. Now he is not in the boat. And the Lord's way of teaching us. Is by taking us from one degree of glory to another. But to go from one degree of glory to another. We have to go from one degree of testing and trial to another. So if you are going to be walking with the Lord. You can expect as time goes on. That God allows you to face stronger trials. More difficult temptations. And lead you triumphant through all of them. That's God's purpose. So that's the wonderful thing we see here. There is a verse in 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13 which says. God will never. This is a wonderful promise. To me it's one of the most wonderful promises in the New Testament. God will never allow you to be tested beyond your ability. He first allowed them to be tested with a storm. With him in the boat. And showed them his power. And then a little later. He allowed them to be tested. With him not in the boat. There are times of trial. When sometimes he gives us a sense of his presence with us. And he helps us to overcome. And there are other times of trial. When we don't have the sense of his presence. But he's still there. And we trust him. And our faith becomes stronger. So 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13 says. He will never allow us to be tested or tempted beyond our ability. It's a wonderful thing when you believe that. That means. If the devil plans some massive temptation for me today. And God says no. You can't let him face that. He's not ready for it. But maybe 5 years from now. I'm strong enough. God says to Satan. Okay. You can let him have it now. He can overcome. So you know. When you face a strong trial or test or temptation. What does that prove? It proves that God has such confidence in you. That he feels you're strong enough to overcome it. I mean. He wouldn't have allowed that to come into your life 5 years ago. Because you were not ready. It's like children going through school. They wouldn't teach them geometry and trigonometry in the first grade. They're not ready for it. But they got to learn it at some stage. And we want our children to not be studying addition and subtraction all their life. We want them to go on. And God wants us to go on in our Christian life too. Not be at that low level where we only have easy trials. So that's the thing we learn here. God seeks to lead them on from one degree of glory to another. The other thing I want to mention is. That if you get into some difficult situation. That doesn't mean that you missed God's will. In fact it may be an indication that you are in God's will. There's a very beautiful passage. I don't have time to point it to show it to you right now. But you could read it sometime. In Acts of the Apostles chapter 16. It's one of those times when Paul and Silas were going out to preach the gospel. They were wondering where to go. They were going to different places. And they were not sure. Some place the Holy Spirit stopped them. We read in another place. They didn't feel free in their spirit to go. And then one night Paul had a vision. And in that vision. There was a man who came in that vision and said. Come to Philippi and help us. And then when Paul woke up. He shared this vision with his colleagues. And they were absolutely sure. God has led us to go to Philippi. And so they got ready and they went to Philippi. They had no plan to go there. God led them supernaturally. And when they came to Philippi. Within a couple of days or a few days. They were in jail. Locked up in jail. And can you imagine how they felt? Hey Lord we obeyed you and here we are in jail. Did we miss your will? No. You didn't miss my will. Even though you are in jail. You didn't miss my will. Because I got somebody in that jail. I want to get saved. And there was a jailer who got saved there. And so that's why Paul and Silas. Because they believed that. In that jail they could praise the Lord. And as they praised the Lord. Of course the doors were open. And more wonderful than that. That jailer got saved. So what we learn from this is. A Christian can be triumphant in every situation. And if you face a trial or a difficulty. Or some unexpected event. That does not mean you missed the will of God. Don't let the devil condemn you. And say. Oh well see what happened. You missed God's will. No you didn't. That's perhaps the very thing God has arranged for you to face. So that you can be stronger spiritually. And you can get to know Him better. That's how we overcome Satan. But if in that situation we get discouraged. And say oh well. Why did this storm come? Did I miss God's will? No. I obeyed Him. And that's why I faced the storm. And now in this storm. God is going to show me some wonderful thing. How He's going to help me to be an overcomer. So that's something wonderful we see here. And it says here in verse 25. In the fourth watch of the night. I don't know how long they were rowing the boat across that lake. But the fourth watch of the night is three o'clock in the morning. Right in the middle of the night. He allowed them to face the storm for a certain length of time. And then He came. He knows exactly when to come. He knows when the pressure is becoming too much for you. And He comes to encourage you. And it says here He came to them walking on the sea. And this is a picture of Jesus' power. Not only over nature. But over sin. And over Satan. Because you know. If He came here. If Jesus had come to earth. As an angel. And He walked on the water. That wouldn't be a great miracle. I mean an angel can fly across the water. That's not a great thing. But the wonderful thing we see here is. He came as a man. Was Jesus subject to the law of gravity? Or could He just fly whenever He wanted to? Not until His resurrection. When He got a new body. He could do that. But in the body He lived on earth for 33 and a half years. His body was subject to the law of gravity. Just like yours and mine. And that's why the devil could tell Him to jump from the temple. Because He knew that He'd go straight down. He couldn't fly. Otherwise it wouldn't be a temptation. Now what's the spiritual meaning of that? The law of gravity which pulls us down everywhere on this earth. Is a picture of the law of sin and death. Temptation seeks to pull us down. And the Bible says in Hebrews 4.15. That Jesus was tempted in every point. Exactly like we are. See that's the spiritual lesson we can learn from this parable. That just like Jesus felt the pull of gravity. And He didn't sink in the water. But walked upon it. He felt the pull of temptation. In my life. This is the truth that encouraged me the most to be an overcomer. After I was born again. For 16 years of my Christian life. I was a defeated Christian. I was born again. My sins were forgiven. And I was even serving the Lord. But I couldn't say I could overcome sin. I couldn't experience the reality of what it says in Romans 6.14. Sin shall not rule over you. My sins were forgiven. But if I were honest I had to admit sin was ruling over me. I was sinking in the sea. I couldn't overcome gravity. I couldn't overcome this law of sin and death. Paul says in Romans 8.2. The law of the Holy Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. So Paul experienced a freedom from this spiritual law of gravity called the law of sin. By the power of the life of Jesus. But I didn't experience that. Until I saw this wonderful truth about 27 years ago. That Jesus came just like me. Was tempted like me. God sent him to earth. Not only to be my substitute on the cross. But also to be my example. Whom I could follow. I could never follow him if he wasn't tempted like me. You know it's like if an angel came to earth and wanted to teach me to swim. And he flies across the swimming pool and says jump in and follow me. I say well. I can't follow you. If you want to teach me how to swim. First of all take a body like mine that's subject to gravity. Then jump into the pool and tell me how to do it. And you know the number of times Jesus said follow me. What are we supposed to say to him? Lord I can't follow you. Of course we can. If he was not like us. Then of course we couldn't follow him. There are two truths concerning Christ. That we must always keep in mind. He was fully God. And he was fully man. I think most Christians have no problem recognizing that he is fully God. That's why we worship him. We pray to him. See both these truths have some practical implications. Because he's fully God we pray to him. We worship him. Even when he was on earth he received worship. But he was also fully man. And I've discovered through traveling in many countries that many Christians have not accepted this truth fully. There are some people who don't accept that Jesus Christ was God. That's one extreme of error. But if you don't accept that he was fully man. It's another extreme of error. Now we may not be able to explain this. We don't have to explain. But it's only when we recognize what the Bible says in Hebrews 2 verse 17. That he was made like us in all things. And Hebrews 4 verse 15. That he was tempted like us in all points. That we have an example to follow. And that's what we see here. Jesus is pulled by the law of gravity. But he overcomes and walks on the water. He was tempted like us. But he did not sin. Now that's only half the miracle. It says here in verse. I'll just come to that. Verse 26. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea. They were frightened. They said it's a ghost. And they cried out for fear. And immediately Jesus spoke to them saying. Take courage. It's I. Don't be afraid. And that's the word that he often spoke to his disciples. Don't be afraid. Do you know the number of times he said that? Fear is something Jesus was against. He was as much against fear. As he was against sin. He told people don't sin. And he said don't fear. But we. We know that sin is bad. But we often don't look at fear. As something also that needs to be overcome. Something that harms our walk with the Lord. Hinders our walk with the Lord. Harms our spiritual life. We need to listen to that word of Jesus. Which says don't be afraid. Because I'm here. That's a word that we need to hear constantly. Particularly if you are facing a time of trial or difficulty. The word of the Lord to you is. Don't be afraid. I'm here. I'm here to help you to overcome. And Peter said. Lord. If it is you. Command me. Verse 28. To come to you. On the water. And Jesus said come. And Peter got out. And walked on the water. And came toward Jesus. Now we see two miracles here. One is Jesus walking on the water. And the other is Peter walking on the water. Can you tell me which is the greater of the two? I know. Jesus walking on the water is not such a great thing. To me the greater miracle is this guy Peter. Just like me. He is walking on the water. See that's what convinces me. That I can overcome sin too. It's not just that he. Jesus. Was tempted and overcame. What we learn here is that. A stumbling weak. Person like Peter who would deny the Lord. So easily. Could be an overcomer. And that's what the Lord was trying to teach him. And trying to teach us. He walked on the water. To go to Jesus. Now. There's something here that we need to say. About the Christian life. The Christian life is pictured here. As walking on the water. It's not an easy thing. In fact humanly speaking. It's impossible. We know that walking on the water is impossible. So that's something we learn from this miracle. That to live the Christian life. The way the New Testament. According to the New Testament standard. Is impossible humanly speaking. It's not just that you don't have sufficient determination. Or you haven't understood. Enough truth. It is impossible. Without God's power. I mean just consider Peter walking on the water. Is that possible by. Do you walk on the water when you get your doctrines right? Or do you walk on the water when. Because you grit your teeth. Or you say well I'm going to walk on the water. No. The only thing that enabled Peter to walk on the water. Was the supernatural power of God. There was absolutely no other way. I mean that's so clear from this. And what we need to learn from this miracle is. We need that same supernatural power. It's called grace. The power of the Holy Spirit. To keep us walking everyday. In our life on this earth. And that's why we need to seek God everyday. For God's power. For God's grace. That's why the Bible says we must pray always. We need to ask God. Lord give me grace. In this difficult world. Where sin is so close. Temptation is all around me. To be an overcomer. God wants us to be an overcomer. He wants us to walk like. Peter. Just like he told Peter to come. He tells us to come. He's invited us. But he won't force us. He didn't supernaturally grab Peter out of the boat. And make him come out on the water. And he's not going to force anyone. To come into this Christian life. He says come. But you got to decide. To step out of that boat. You got to leave some of your friends behind. Who want to sit in the comfort of their boat. And don't want this. What they call this risky life. Of walking on the water. But it's an exciting life. That's what Jesus calls you to. It's an individual decision. That you have to make. To come out of. The secure situation you're in. To say Lord. I want to come out in obedience to your command. And that's what we see in this. Peter coming out of the boat. And saying Lord you called me to come. And I want to come out. And I want to trust you. And he won't let you down. And it says here he walked on the water. To go to Jesus. He wasn't walking on the water to show off. And show other people. How wonderful. What a great guy he was. No. The purpose of this walking on the water. There's so many beautiful lessons here in this parable. That the whole purpose of the Christian life. Is to get closer and closer and closer to Jesus. And that's what we see here. Peter got closer and closer and closer to Jesus. And there's something more we see. See. Victory here. This life of victory that's described here. Is one step at a time. There's a Chinese proverb which says. The journey of a thousand miles. Begins with a single step. You take one step. And then you take another. I don't have to think of the whole future. And all the problems I'm going to face tomorrow. And next week and next year. No. Jesus said sufficient unto the day. Is the evil thereof. I just need to be an overcomer today. And Jesus said don't worry about tomorrow. I'll give you grace tomorrow. Each day. We don't have to be anxious about tomorrow. Because tomorrow. For tomorrow's problems. God will give us grace tomorrow. Not today. He's going to give us grace today. Only for today's problems. And very often what the devil makes us think about. What's going to happen tomorrow. And what's going to happen next week. And we don't have grace for it. And that's how we get anxious. But if we say Lord. I'll leave that with you. I've got to just take one step at a time. What I see right now. I don't know what lies ahead of us in the future. I don't know what lies ahead of me in the future. Next week, next year. But I know the very next step I have to take is. A step of faith trusting you. And if we live like this. We can be overcomers everyday. What we see here. Just like us. He was a human being. It says here. Seeing the wind. Verse 30. He became afraid. And he began to sink. And he cried out saying. Lord save me. See this is so like us. We're walking along for some time. And I can imagine that. After a while. Peter became a little proud. And said hey this is amazing. This is wonderful. And. This is also so true to us. You know we. Maybe you've lived in. You've overcome in some area. You've come out triumphant in some situation. You've given your testimony to others. And everybody thinks you're a great person. And that goes a little bit to your head. And you feel a little proud about this. The testimony you have in your church. And like the proverb says. Pride goes before a fall. And the moment we become proud of. Our accomplishments. Our walking on the water. Our overcoming in some trial. Our overcoming in some situation. It's just a short while before we fall. And that's exactly what happened to Peter. It was pride. It was a combination of a number of things. Part of our weakness as human beings. Is that we get proud so quickly. Some little accomplishment. And we begin to think we did it. We didn't do it. That was God's grace. The Bible says. What have you got that you didn't receive? Is there a single thing in your life that you didn't receive? Even our health is God's gift. Everything is God's gift. I need to acknowledge that and recognize that every day. And if we live in that place of humility. I want to tell you. You can never fall. It is impossible. I get this picture in my mind of. When the Bible says. There's a wonderful verse in Jude verse 24. Which says. He's able to keep you from falling. How does he keep me from falling? See if I'm standing. I can fall. If I'm sitting. I can still fall. But if I lie flat on the ground. I can't fall. And that's the place of humility. That God wants me to be. And it's a picture in my mind. That I thank God for. God says. Keep your face in the dust. All the time. Live. Recognizing that. Everything you have. Is a gift of God. You're not better than anybody else. You're not capable. But by my grace. You can overcome every situation you ever face on the earth. But don't ever forget. That it's my grace that helps you. If you keep your face in the dust. Can you fall? No. Like John Bunyan said. He who is down. Need fear no fall. That's the way he keeps us from falling. Because the Bible says. God gives his grace to the humble. So Peter fell. Because of a combination of number of situations. It was probably pride. And having walked for a number of yards on the sea. Secondly. It says here. He turned his eyes away from Jesus. On to the wind. There's something beautiful here for us to learn. You know when we sink. It's when we have turned our eyes away from this almighty Lord and Savior. On to the trial. On to the situation. On to people around us who are troubling us. Perhaps on to the devil. And then we begin to sink. But as long as our eyes are on the Lord. The Bible says. Let's run the race. Fixing our eyes on Jesus. That's how it is in my NASB translation. Not just looking at Jesus. But fixing our eyes. There's so many temptations to turn my eyes away. Particularly when some massive trial comes my way. What a temptation to look at that. And to imagine all the horrible things that are going to result from that. Which the devil puts into my mind. To say no I'm not going to think about all that. In this situation I'm going to see Jesus. You know that's what Joshua and Caleb did. When the Bible says that God brought all the Israelites to the borders of the promised land. And told them go in and possess this land. And there were all those giants there. Huge giants. And all the Israelites got scared. 600,000 of them. But there were two among them. Joshua and Caleb. Who said well. I know these folks are big. Bigger than me. But not bigger than our God. And so. They looked at these giants. They looked at God. And they said we can overcome. You know what all the other people did? They looked at the giants. And they looked at themselves. They said boy we're like grasshoppers. Compared to these giants. You know that's what a lot of Christians do when they face some trial or. Difficulty or temptation. They look at this tremendous problem. And they look at their own resources. And say boy. This is impossible. We're like grasshoppers. But Joshua and Caleb. It's very simple. Joshua and Caleb. This was the only difference. They looked at the giants. And then they looked at God. And they said oh. These giants are like grasshoppers. That was the difference. So it's a question of where we look. As long as Peter was looking at Jesus. And saying Lord I've got my eyes fixed on you. I'm coming towards you. He was walking. But the moment he turned his eyes away. To look at the wind. And the waves. It didn't take time. Immediately. He began to sink. And the other thing. Is. He forgot the word. That Jesus spoke to them. Don't be afraid. See these are the two mistakes we make. In trial. One. We stop looking at Jesus. And the second. We forget the promises of his word. Now if we keep our mind on his word. And we keep the eyes and our heart fixed on Jesus. There's not a single situation in the world. That you cannot overcome. God can solve every problem. I'll tell you why I say that. I go back to that verse I quoted earlier. In 1 Corinthians 10.13. It's good for you to know these promises in scripture. And even if you don't get anything else this morning. Get 1 Corinthians 10.13. God will never allow you to be tested beyond your ability. I don't know how you have examinations here in India. In schools. At the end of the year they have an examination. Which determines whether they're going to go to the next grade or not. And they have a question paper. And if they're in the second grade. They have a second grade question paper. If they're in the fifth grade they get a fifth grade question paper. That's the same all over the world. It's like that. Have you ever heard of a school where they give a fifth grade question paper to a second grade student? God doesn't do that either. Do you know that all of us sitting here we're not going to be tested at the same level? It depends on which grade you are. In your Christian life. And if you get a tough question paper. It means God thinks you're in a pretty high grade. He does not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability. And the rest of the verse says. But. In every trial he's going to make a way. For us to escape. Every single trial. Just imagine what a difference it will make in your life. If you start believing that one promise in 1 Corinthians 10.13 from now on. First of all. Lord I believe. That I'm never going to face a situation from now until you come. From now until Jesus comes. I'm never going to face a situation that I cannot overcome. Never. Every situation I face will be something that I can bear. Now if that's not true. Then God's word is a lie. And God himself is a liar. Have you heard people sometimes say. Oh this is becoming too much for me. Really? Well God must be a liar then. Or you're not a Christian. Well if you're not a Christian. I can believe that. A lot of things in the world can be too much for you. But if you've given your life to Christ. Here's a promise for you. God will never allow you to be tested beyond your ability. He says like he said to Paul. My grace is sufficient for you. I'll give you enough grace. If you will look to me and not look at that trial. I'll give you grace to overcome. Now if you don't believe that my friends. Just try it out next time. Test it out. I've tested that for 40 years. And I found it to be true. In so many many different situations. All types of difficulties. Financial difficulties. Physical difficulties. Sicknesses. Opposition from the devil. Opposition from believers. Opposition from unbelievers. In the work I do in India. And I found God's grace is sufficient in every single situation. Never. I've never faced a situation till today. Where God says. I won't give you grace there. Do you know that? But you got to believe. You got to believe that God's word is true. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability. And. He will make a way of escape. He'll give you grace in that situation. What did Peter do? It's beautiful to see here. What he did. As soon as he began to sink. He just said Lord. Save me. Verse 30. He cried out. Saying Lord. Save me. He knew that there was only one person. Who could save him. He didn't turn around to his friends in the boat. And saying hey fellas come and save me. Andrew save me. Don't turn to Andrew or John. Turn to the Lord. Lord. Save me. Where do you turn? When you're sinking. Is there some good friend. Some Andrew. Some John. Who you think is going to help you. You know what's the first thing we need to do. When we're sinking. Physically, spiritually, emotionally. Whatever it is. Three words. Lord save me. And he'll do. Exactly the same thing for you. That he did for Peter. Do you think he loves you less than he loved Peter? God so loved Peter. And God so loved you. That he gave his only son. He gave his son for you as well. Jesus came for you and me. When I speak to little children. I give them the gospel like this. I say just imagine. That you were the only sinner. The only bad boy. The only bad girl. In the whole world. Everybody else was good. Except you. You're the only one. I said do you know Jesus would have come from heaven. Just for you. We got to make the gospel. Personal like that. And some of us may be grown up adults. But we need to hear it like little children. Even if you were the only sinner. In the whole world. Jesus would have come for you. He loves you just as much as he loved Peter. And when Peter said Lord save me. Immediately. There was no delay. It says immediately verse 31. I love that word. Immediately. The Lord stretched out his hand. And held him. He won't do any less for you. And it's because. We have turned to John and Andrew and Thomas. To help us. That we're sinking still. The first thing we need to do is say Lord. I'm trusting you. Now God may use human agency. That's another thing. God uses many human agencies. Many times. But our trust must not be in men. That's what I'm trying to say. I'm not saying that we shouldn't go to a doctor when we're sick. Or shouldn't turn to man for help. But our trust must be in the Lord. That's the thing here. Lord I trust you. To save me in this situation. Whatever the problem. When you're sick, ask him to heal you. When you're facing a trial, ask him to save you. He's interested in every detail of our life. He allows the trial. To see whether we look to him. To see whether we'll trust him. And if you trust him in that trial. You'll get to know him better. And you'll be a stronger Christian by the end of that trial. That's God's will for us. And so we see here. Immediately the Lord stretched out his hand. It was a short prayer. There are many beautiful prayers in the Bible. Which are very short. You don't have to give God a big lecture for one hour. He knows your problems. Can you imagine a shorter prayer than this? Lord save me. That's all you need. You know. Jesus held him. The tremendous promises in scripture. Which says I will never leave you. Nor forsake you. Hebrews 13, 5 and 6. He makes everything work together for our good. To those who love him. Who shall separate us from the love of God. In Christ Jesus. No one can pluck you out of my hand. My father is greater than I. No one can pluck you out of his hand. We got to believe these promises. And trust him. And say Lord you love me. I know you're going to help me in this situation. Many many times. We think. Because we haven't prayed. Or we pray. Or we don't trust the Lord. We trust in some man. And God allows us to think. So that we learn not to trust in man. So let's learn some lessons here. Remember John called these miracles signs. There is a spiritual meaning in all these miracles. That John picks out. In his gospel. And then we see here. After he held his hand. The Lord said to him. Oh you of little faith. Why did you doubt? He rebukes him. The Bible says in Revelation 3. In verse 19. Jesus says. Those whom I love. I rebuke. And I discipline. A good father. Will rebuke and correct. And discipline his children. So the Lord does us too. He rebuked Peter. I thank God for the rebukes. That the Lord has given me. Through my life. That have challenged me. Oh you of little faith. Why did you doubt? Have you ever heard the Lord rebuking you? The Bible says. Don't get discouraged. When the Lord rebukes you. Don't get discouraged when the Lord disciplines you. Because he says. It's only those whom I love. Whom I rebuke. Revelation 3.19 We all know John 3.16 right? God so loved the world. That he gave his only begotten son. Here is another verse. Revelation 3.19 Those whom I love. I rebuke. So when you ask little children. How do you know that God loves you? You say well God sent Jesus to die for me. But you ask a mature Christian. How do you know that God loves you? Well one. He sent Jesus to die for me. Second. He rebukes and disciplines me. Have you understood that as an expression of God's love? As many as I love. I rebuke. So don't be discouraged. When the Lord rebukes you. Through a word in a meeting. When you read the scripture. Because the purpose of those rebukes. Is to lead us to higher ground. Why did you doubt Peter? Why did you? Why didn't you trust me? God is so good. You know the Lord didn't first rebuke him. And then hold out his hand to lift him. Where would he have been? By the time he had finished his rebuke. I praise the Lord for that. God is so good you know. We are in trouble. And he doesn't first rebuke us. No, no, no. He knows we need to stand first. He helps us to stand. And once we are steady on our feet. He says, now I got something to tell you. You didn't trust me there. I praise the Lord. God is so loving, so understanding, so good. Oh you little faith. Why did you doubt? Now Peter had seen many, many miracles. Before this. And. Yet he seemed to forget in this moment. And isn't that a mistake? We make too. There is a beautiful song. One verse of it goes like this. His love in time past. Forbids me to think. That he leave me at last. In trouble to sink. His love in time past. Forbids me to think. That he leave me at last. In trouble to sink. Each sweet Ebenezer. Ebenezer means. God is my helper. Each sweet Ebenezer. I have in review. Confirms his good pleasure. To carry me through. The meaning of that verse is that. When I am in trouble. And it looks as if there is no help. The first thing. I need to look to the Lord. And look back to the number of times. In my life. When God saw me through. Sometimes we forget that. Peter forgot all the miracles. That he had seen. And we tend to forget. Think of the. Is there a person sitting here. Who can say I've got no history. Of the Lord helping me. I don't believe there is any such person. But we forget that. The devil doesn't allow you to think about that. Because if you begin to think of the number of instances. Where the Lord saw you through. When you thought you were going to sink. When there was no hope. And you came through. You'd have faith. That's one of the things that helps us to have faith. That he will not allow us to. See faith is not something. You know we have so many books on faith today. And I think a lot of Christians are confused about faith. And I just want to say a word about this. Faith is not something. I have to look for in myself. See that's one thing. Which I did not discover. For so many years of my Christian life. And I just want to share the benefit. Of my. What I learned through my failures with you. So you don't have to go through those years of failure. Faith is not something. I have to look for in my sincere. Oh I don't have faith. See for example. If you have a. Rickety old wooden bridge. Across a river. Half broken. And you don't feel like crossing that. See you don't have. I don't have faith to cross that river. On that rickety wooden tree trunk. Or that bridge. And then. A hundred yards down the river. You find a big strong concrete steel bridge. And you walk across. Where was your faith? It was not inside you. You didn't have faith in this rickety bridge. But you had faith in that concrete steel bridge. To walk across. Your faith was in something outside you. That's what I want to emphasize. The same person. Wouldn't go across here. But would go across there. Even a child can go across there. Or take another illustration. Here's a bank that's. Existed for a hundred years. Treated it's customers fairly. And here's another bank. That started yesterday. And I'm wondering which bank. To put my money in. Well it's not such a big crime. If I don't have faith in this bank that started yesterday. But I'm the same person. But I have a solid faith in this other bank. Where I'm going to put all my money. What do I learn from these two examples? Faith is not something inside me. It's in the thing outside of me. It's in that solid bank. It's in that solid bridge. And it's in a solid savior. It's got nothing to do with you brother. Sister. It's got to do with how powerful. You think Jesus is. It's got nothing to do with me. If your savior is a weak savior. If your God is a weak tiny God. Well obviously you're not going to have much faith. But if your God is the one who runs the universe. And if Jesus. The Jesus you worship is the one who said. I've got all authority in heaven and earth. What's the problem trusting him? So faith is not something I look for in myself. It's something I've got to find in the Lord. And then finally. It says here in verse 33. When they got to the boat and the wind stopped. Verse 33. Those who were in the boat. Worshipped him. Saying you are certainly God's son. See this is where all of our life. Must finally end. In worship. The bible says. That the father seeks for those who will worship him. Jesus said that. And the purpose of God. Bringing me through. Every trial and testing. Is to make me a better worshiper. But I can fall at Jesus feet. And say Lord. You're certainly God's son. That's the reason why God allows. Trial and testing. In our life. To make us better worshipers. So as you face. Future. Remember. Remember what you heard today. That there is no situation. That you cannot overcome. God can solve every problem. He may not do it the way you. Expect. But he'll give you grace. To triumph over every trial. Because he'll never allow you to be tested. Beyond your ability. So let's go forth. Trusting him. Let's bow our heads in prayer. You are invited. To visit. Our website. On the internet. At www.cfcindia.com That is. Bangalore 560 084 India. If you would like to receive a weekly message by Zak Poonen by email, please send us your email address to cfclit at touchtelindia.net. That is cfclit at t-o-u-c-h-t-e-l-i-n-d-i-a.net. The Lord bless you richly.