Flanders Baptist and Community Church

cripture Lesson: Scripture Lesson: Matthew 14:22-33  

 

Sermon: “Walking Toward Jesus” 

 

Introduction 

 

Today, we’re speaking about an important topic: walking. 

I don’t know if you like to walk. 

I surely don’t know how often you walk every week. 

But here is something I do know: 

We were born to move. 

 

In fact, according to specialists 

One of the best ways to live longer is to exercise. 

The more we do it the healthier we tend to be. 

And walking is one of the easiest ways to exercise. 

 

You and I are more likely to get and keep 

Healthy weight with regular physical activity. 

The reality is people who are not active have higher risk for stroke, 

Some cancers, heart disease, depression, type 2 diabetes, and even early death. 

 

According to the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

Adults need at least 150 minutes of aerobic activities every week. 

In this country walking is the most popular aerobic physical activity. 

145 million people mention that walking is part of their regular physical activity. 

 

But unfortunately, they don’t do it enough. 

This is why only 48% of adults in this country 

Get enough aerobic physical activity to improve their health. 

 

So, if walking is so popular, why don’t we do it more often? 

Well, people don’t walk as they don’t feel safe to do it in their community 

Because of crimes, traffic or inconvenient sidewalks. 

Some folks don’t walk because they really, really love to drive. 

 

I am not kidding you. I’ve seen people drive to a workplace 

Or a grocery store located less than a minute from their home. 

Of course, people don’t walk for various other reasons such as: 

It’s too cold outside! 

I’m guilty of that. 

If it’s cold outside, I am not going to take a walk. 

 

A. The bible and walking 

 

Friends, walking plays a significant role in the Bible. 

We know there was no modern-like transportation system 

At the time the bible was written. 

So, walking was the easiest way to go from one place to another one. 

This is the reason we have a lot of stories of people walking. 

 

From Abraham to Jesus, the most important biblical figures had to walk hundreds 

of miles to fulfill their duties and bring hope to others. 

In fact, the word walk appears no less than 212 times in the King James Version. 

And other related words appear numerous times as well. 

 

It is interesting to note that we see evidence of walking 

At the beginning and at the end of the bible. 

In the first two chapters of Genesis, 

Adam and Eve walk in the glorious presence of God. 

And God the creator of walking filled their lives with perfect joy and peace. 

Both of them walked in obedience and glory. 

 

However, in Genesis 3, our forefathers sinned against God. 

Verse 8 says God was walking in the garden 

When God called them out for their disobedience. 

You see, God has been walking with us since the beginning. 

 

But because of their sin, Adam and Eve went from a walk of holiness 

To a walk of shame and disobedience. 

As a result, our relationship with God, 

Our walk alongside our creator was disrupted. 

We went from a path of life to a path of death with no hope for restoration. 

 

But by the grace of God, Jesus came, died for us, and rose again 

So humankind could go back to the path of righteousness. 

Jesus planted a seed that is growing every day and 

Will be perfected during his second coming. 

On that day, we will once again walk in newness and glory 

In the glorious presence of our God. 

 

Friends, it is no surprise that as in its first two chapters, 

The bible talks about walking in its last two chapters. 

Revelation 21 says after the restoration of this sinful cosmic order, 

Nations will walk in the light of the glory of God. 

Together we will walk in the presence of God. 

Shame, deception, and all things impure will disappear. 

And eternal life will forever prevail. 

 

B. The Story 

 

I am sure you’ve noticed that walking is at the heart of today’s story. 

In fact, the event took place right after 

One of Jesus’ most popular miracles: the feeding of the Five Thousand. 

Remember, people walked to a deserted place to meet with Jesus. 

He miraculously fed all of them. 

 

The people were amazed and wanted to stay with him. 

But at some point, Jesus asked his disciples 

To get into a boat to go to the other side. 

In the meantime, he walked among the people 

To dismiss them and send them home. 

 

When they left, Jesus decided to walk up the mountain to pray. 

After he was done, he wanted to be with his disciples again. 

But there was a problem. 

The boat was in the middle of the lake, far from the land. 

To make things worse, it was battered by the waves because of a violent wind. 

 

The bible says Jesus made an interesting decision. 

He walked toward his disciples on the sea. 

Understand, it was very early in the morning. 

So, it was dark. 

When the disciples saw that thing walking on the water approaching the boat, 

They began to scream because they thought it was a ghost. 

 

One would think that after the once-in-a lifetime wonder of the feeding of the 

5000, they disciples would be faithful enough to invoke 

The mighty name of Jesus in the face of fear. 

Nope. It did not happen. 

Instead, they pitifully cried out like toddlers looking at 

A scary Halloween mask for the first time. 

 

But Jesus told them with his reassuring voice: 

Don’t be afraid. It is I. 

And Peter did something that most normal human beings 

Would not even think of. 

He answered: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 

 

Jesus acquiesced and Peter began to do the unthinkable: 

He walked on the water until he started thinking like most of us. 

At that point, his common sense took over, and he naturally thought: 

“What in the world did I do? 

Am I really walking on water in the middle of a violent wind?” 

 

Folks, the laws of physics took over as expected. 

And Peter began to sink. 

He cried out for help. 

Then, Jesus took his hand and rescued him. 

Both got into the boat. 

And the wind miraculously ceased. 

 

By the way, I don’t know for you, 

I would never do what Peter did. 

He liked to act before thinking. 

A good example of acting before thinking is  

What happened in our state a couple of years ago. 

 

As you may remember, a small number of students vandalized schools’ bathrooms, 

And proudly recorded their actions on TikTok. 

I think they called it a devious licks challenge. 

They even had a “Slap a Teacher” challenge. 

Unfortunately, some students went to jail because of that. 

 

C. Lessons 

 

Here is the most important question this morning? 

What can we learn from Peter’s actions in the story? 

First, walking toward Jesus is the only reason Peter was able to overcome. 

According to an African proverb, “The path is made by walking.” 

 

Church, we will not make it by being static. 

Remember, I told you earlier that we were all created to move. 

We cannot pretend to be obedient to God 

If we don’t work every day to improve our spiritual life. 

 

We must check on ourselves on a regular basis 

By asking the following questions? 

How is my prayer life? Is prayer an afterthought? 

Is it something I do only for a few seconds when I have nothing to do? 

What do I do to worship God at work, in school and other places? 

Am I faithful to the church of the Christ? 

 

Here is the second lesson we can learn from Peter’s action: 

Walking toward Jesus is almost never a cakewalk. 

You see, Peter had to walk on water to reach Jesus. 

He had to defy the laws of physics to reach his destiny. 

There is a reason that Jesus says in Matthew 16:24 

“If you want to follow me you have to carry your cross.” 

 

Friends, there’s a lot of suffering in this life. 

We suffer so much that at times even faith doesn’t make any sense. 

As Christians, we are called to be patient in affliction. 

Jesus calls us to take the high road, and love our enemies. 

 

Let’s face it, folks. Love is sometimes hard. 

Hate is easy. 

Love is costly, but hate is cheap. 

But, church, it is through love that we unleash the powers of heaven of this earth. 

 

Peter took a leap of faith by leaving the boat. 

He started well, but the wind of life hit him so hard that it knocked him down. 

But when everything seemed to be lost Jesus showed up. 

Do remember a specific time Jesus showed up 

When hopelessness, discouragement and fear came into your life? 

 

Do you remember how our Jesus took your hand and rescued you? 

God will do it again. 

Church, our God is faithful. 

Our God is great all the time. 

 

This is why we have to walk toward Jesus. 

Because we know regardless of where we are, 

His presence is with us. 

And, we also know that all things work together for good to them that love God. 

 

Walking toward Jesus is a gaze to perfect love. 

Walking toward Jesus is a willingness to sacrifice for others. 

Walking toward Jesus is a strong desire to be at peace with all, 

Including those who despise us. 

Walking toward Jesus is a march toward our final destiny, a perfected world. 

 

Unfortunately, we sometimes walk away from Christ 

Instead of walking with or toward our Savior. 

At times, we don’t love ourselves and all others as we should. 

At times, we fail to work hard enough to make the world a better place. 

As a result, we fail to reach a level of joy and peace 

That only comes from total obedience to God. 

 

Folks, there is a third thing we may learn from today’s story. 

Peter did it by himself; he walked alone. 

But he began to sink at some point. 

This is a reminder that we all have to be together in the paths of life. 

 

French philosopher Albert Camus declares: 

“Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not 

follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” 

In other words, you don’t have to be my leader or my follower. 

Just, be my friend and I will be happy. 

When we walked together, we are stronger. 

When we hold hands and walk together, nothing can defeat us. 

 

In 1831, England’s Broughton Suspension Bridge broke apart 

Because a brigade of soldiers marched in steps or marched in unison across it. 

It’s a process that scientists call mechanical resonance. 

So, a strong bridge fell because soldiers were marching together across it. 

Friends, we have more power than we can imagine when we walk together. 

 

It’s by walking together that we are more helpful to each other. 

If we hold hands, you will lift me up when I fall down. 

If we truly do it, I will bring you comfort when you have tears in your eyes. 

We will never change this world and reach Jesus 

If we don’t walk together. 

 

One of the tragedies of today’s church is we are isolated from each other. 

After our services, we all go back to our private islands. 

We don’t have deep, meaningful conversations 

Besides our chit-chats after our Sunday services. 

We don’t call each other. 

We don’t invite each other to dinner, anymore. 

 

Conclusion 

 

Friends, this sermon is an urgent call to go back to basics. 

As members of this community, let us have stronger relationships. 

I am talking about relationships that go beyond 

The short time we spend here on Sundays. 

 

In Phil 3:16 (KJV), Paul says: 

“Nevertheless, to what we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let 

us mind the same thing.” 

In other words, we have so much in common that we must get along. 

 

Our life journey is like walking on water in the middle of a violent wind. 

There are things like illnesses, depressing news, hatred, unmet expectations, 

Unfulfilled needs, and disappointing relationships. 

We just went through a time of collective grieving in this country and in the world. 

Remember, Covid killed 1.3 million people here, and about 7 million worldwide. 

This is the reason that I like to tell people that if we walk together toward 

Christ, with Christ, we will be fine. 

 

You know why? 

Because love has a name. 

Peace has a name. 

Justice has a name. 

And, life itself has a name. The name is Jesus, our creator and savior!!! 

 

I want to leave you with a well-known song titled: 

“I want Jesus to walk with me.” 

Here is what it says: 

 

“I want Jesus to walk with me. 

All along my pilgrim journey, 

Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me. 

In my trials, Lord, walk with me. 

When my heart is almost breaking, 

Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me. 

When I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me. 

When my head is bowed in sorrow, 

Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.” 

 

What a wonderful Savior we have, friends!!! 

If you haven’t done it yet, 

I am inviting you to follow this Jesus. 

If you are a Christian, I am inviting to get closer to our Savior. 

 

I hope you received the message today. 

May God bless you and your family! Amen!