Don’t Jump Ship

[KC4UMO]

This is a sermon I taught on a few weeks back. I got it a year ago from a friend and revised it.


Don’t Jump Ship
If Jesus is in it
Intro-Acts 27:15
Main Text-Matt 14:22-33


There is many times when people, believers and nonbelievers alike, get caught up in situations that they cannot do anything about. When this happens, there is one of two things we usually do.
1-We turn to the Holy Spirit through prayer and ask for Gods blessing and to help us.
2-we turn to other things to use as an escape goat to so we don’t have to deal with the problem. Drugs, drinking, companion abuse, and many other things we use as a crutch.

We should pray to God and let the direction of the Holy Spirit guide us.
Acts 27 verse 15 tells us this:
KJV “And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive”.
NASB ”And when the ship was caught {in it} and could not face the wind, we gave way {to it} and let ourselves be driven along”.

A word from 2Peter 1:21 is being used here. Men were “Moved Along” by the Holy Spirit (wind).

See, a practical application is being made here by this historical event.
1-The wind is God, through the Holy Spirit.
2-The ship is the church.
3-The passengers are the congregation.
4-The sail is the preacher.

The task of the sail (preacher), is to be filled with the wind (Holy Spirit), to move the ship (church), in the direction the wind desires.
But, when the ship does not like the direction that the wind is carrying them, and they know they cannot change the wind, they release the sail. If they cannot find a way to release the sail, they jump ship…

Lets read the word of God together.

Mat 14:
22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to gobefore him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.


This is an old familiar story of walking on water. We all admire Peters courage it took to step out of that ship unto the water. Call it courage, faith, reckless abandon or what ever.

But I like to look at Peters walk on the wild side from a different angle if I may.
1) v22 Jesus put then in a boat.
a) He was urgent about it “Straightway” it means immediately, without hesitation. They did not need to pray about it or ponder on it.
b) He was emphatic about it. “Constrained” The word anakoza in the Greek means very emphatic, very strong.

In Acts 26:11 we see how Paul is very emphatic.
“And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities”.
Here Paul is talking about how he tortured Christians to get them to blaspheme against Jesus.

But note that how John tells us why Jesus acted so urgently in John 6:14-15:
“Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone”.

See, Jesus knew the peoples motives weren’t right, neither was their timing. His decibels were still to immature to understand this. They would have been greatly influenced by such flattery.

2)v24 They experienced a storm.
a) The storm came because they were in Gods will.
1) If they would had disobeyed Jesus, and stayed on land, they would had been in a crowd of people, where they were very popular at the moment. They may have even treated like celebrities because of their relationship with Jesus.
2) Since they obeyed Christ, they were now in a boat, all alone in the mist of the sea, in a storm.

b) There are two kinds of storms
1) Storms of correction
Remember Jonah, How he disobeyed God? And spent three days in the belly of a whale. In these types of storms God disciplines us for willful disobedience.
2) Storms of perfection
Like the disciples, these storms come when God is helping us to grow. It helps us to have more or the mind of Christ.

3) v23 Jesus was praying for them.
a) Jesus saw them and knew their needs.

Mark 6:48:
“And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them”.

b) Jesus is praying for his people today also.
Romans 8:34:
“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us”.

4) v25 Jesus went to them.
“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea”.
So why do you think Jesus walked on the water? Maybe to show them that the very thing they feared was only a staircase for him.

5) v28 Peter Jumps Ship!
a) Peter’s response was spawned by doubt and fear, rather than faith. Faith does not say IF, Faith says because. Remember the two thieves on the cross? One said, “ If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us too.” The other one said, “ Lord, remember me”. Because he knew he was the Christ.
b) Peter was abandoning Jesus initial command.
c) Jesus allowed Peter to leave the ship to teach him a valuable lesson.
1) If Peters faith had not wavered, if his eyes would have not wandered off of Christ, he could have made it.
2) But when you jump ship, the odds are against you.

6) Jesus has placed us in some ships
1) His Lordship
2) Human relationship
3) Marriage partnership
4) Church membership

a) Storms will come because you are in that ship. Persecution comes for the words sake.
b) Jesus is watching your ship and praying for you. In Luke 22:31-33, Jesus warns Peter and promised to pray for him:
“31And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”


c) Jesus will come to your ship in hour of need. When things seem lost, when the outlook is bleak, when hope is all but gone, Just give him time and have faith.
d) You don’t have to walk on water. Just don’t jump ship. If Jesus is in your ship stay onboard with him
e) If he is not on your ship then maybe he is not in your heart. Seek him first and let the Holy Spirit show you the truth.

In Closing
Thousands of people are jumping ship everyday. Jumping from one religion to another, one church to another, one job to another. One marriage to another.
See, they are looking for a sea without storms. A sea that is calm, dead. They will never find a perfect place. They will just keep jumping into they had nowhere else to turn.

What they should be doing is reaching for the oars of faith and disobedience. So they can keep their ship headed in the right direction.

The winds may be contrary, the waves may be fierce.
But they will never capsize the old ship of Zion,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,