Newburg Christian Church

09-07-2008 Sermon

Get Amp'd and Get Out of the Boat

Matthew 14:22-33

Have you ever felt an adrenaline rush? Something happens and in a split second your adrenaline level skyrockets, you respond, and you’re left with a feeling of excitement combined with a touch of fear and maybe even a little relief. An adrenaline rush, simply put, is a burst of physical energy.

There’s a story of a mother who had backed a car over her young child then lifted the car up so another person could pull the child out. That is a real burst of adrenaline energy and strength. Humans are capable of doing nearly impossible things when fear or stress is high and adrenaline is flowing.

Some people like to put themselves in situations that bring out an adrenaline rush; these people skydive, ride roller coasters, or bungee jump. There is an adrenaline rush when a big bass hits a lure and bends a fishing rod double. I ride a motorcycle and get an adrenaline rush. Some kids like to skateboard at the Extreme Park for a rush. My friend Dolly Mills, who has preached here several times, has her own way of getting an adrenaline rush…she barefoot water skis. She gets excited just talking about it.

The new word today for having an adrenaline rush is being “amp’d up.” When you’re “amp’d up” your energy is amplified, your excitement is amplified, your spirit is amplified…you are “amp’d up” When I walk out in front of you each Sunday morning I get “amp’d up!” I’m “amp’d up” right now! My blood pressure is rising, my pupils are dilated, I’m excited about what I’m doing and saying. My adrenaline is flowing and I am “amp’d up.” Some times when I’ve been so “amp’d up” during a message that when I finish I just have to sit for a moment and collect my thoughts before I’m ready to move on to the next part of worship.

Today I brought something along to help me get “amp’d.” (Take a drink from a can of “Amp’d” by Mountain Dew). I’m going to keep this handy and in case I feel a need to get “amp’d” some more…I can get my adrenaline rush from a can. I can feel it moving through my veins right now…there’s no telling what might happen next. If there was some water handy I might just walk it. I feel “amp’d!”

Some times I get the feeling when I read today’s scripture that Peter got “amp’d” when he got out of the boat and started walking to Jesus. Being “amp’d” seems to be a very real part of Peter’s life. His adrenaline seems to have always been flowing causing him to say and do some incredible things. He got amp’d up wanted Jesus to wash his whole body instead of just his feet. He got amp’d up and cut off a man’s ear when soldiers came to arrest Jesus. He got amp’d up and preached on the day of Pentecost a sermon that brought 3000 people to faith in Jesus. And, in our story today he got amp’d up and climbed out of a boat in the middle of a storm.

As our scripture unfolds, Jesus wants some time to be alone with God. He sends the disciples ahead of their next destination across the Sea of Galilee. The disciples leave Jesus and start on their way. Seven hours later during the fourth watch, which is somewhere between 3am and 6am, a storm comes up and the boat is in trouble. The disciples are afraid. They are working very hard to keep the boat afloat, and their adrenaline is pumping.

Suddenly the disciples see someone walking toward them on the water. Even if your boat is sinking and you are doing everything you can to keep that from happening and you see someone walking toward you on the water you are going to stop and look. They think it’s a ghost and they become even more agitated. Then Jesus tries to calm them down by saying, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” This may have reassured the others but I believe it made Peter’s heart race even faster. He says, “Lord, if it is you tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus says, “Come.”

The storm is still raging. The waves are still rocking the boat. The sea spray is hitting Peter in the face. He is amp’d up. He had to be to get out of the boat not knowing what to expect. It’s this adrenaline surge of faith that gets his hands on the rail and his leg over the side and his feet on the water. It’s an adrenaline surge of faith that gets Peter out of the boat. But an adrenaline surge only takes him so far. We don’t know how far he walked on the water but at some point he noticed what he was doing. He noticed the wind and the waves. He noticed his friends back on the boat. He took his eyes off his reason for getting out of the boat in the first place. With all the chaos swirling around him, Peter took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink.

The surge of energy was enough to get him out of the boat, but it didn’t allow him to complete his walk to Jesus. He was saved in the midst of the storm when Jesus reached out to take his hand. It was one thing to have the courage to get out of the boat, but it took something else to stay on top of the water. To keep walking on water he needed a consistent faith that Jesus would see him through.

John Ortberg wrote a wonderful book called, “If You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat.” I credit that book with giving me some of my early passion to do more than sit on the sidelines of the kingdom of God. I had been watching other people do some wonderful things help people experience the kingdom of God now. I watched. And the more I watched the more I desired to get into the game, to get out of my boat. One of the things in Ortberg’s book that really fired me up was this, “Only Peter knew the glory of walking on water. The worst failure is to never get out of the boat. There are many good reasons to get out of the boat, the one that trumps them all is that the water is where Jesus is.” Jesus isn’t in the safety and security of the boat. Jesus is out in the storm. He’s out in the wind. He’s walking on water and calling for each of us to “come.”

That short paragraph and a few other things that were taking place in my heart and within my faith told me to “get out of the boat, start walking on water, because that is where I will find Jesus.” I was getting amp’d up about all this. I talked with a former pastor of mine about it and he prompted me to make the changes in my life that needed to be made. Then another pastor said to me, “If not you, then who will step forward? Are you waiting for someone else to do what Jesus is calling you to do? Then my friend David Emery asked, “What are you waiting for?” What he meant was, I had the ability to walk on water all I needed to do was get out of my boat.

My adrenaline was pumping. I was getting amp’d. I got out of my boat of a comfortable career. I got out of my boat of a comfortable position within my church. I got out of my boat of a relatively comfortable future. The excitement of the moment got me out of the boat. I was out of my boat, the next big task to keep walking. If you get out of your boat you can’t worry about sinking or you will. When you get out of your boat you must find a faith that is laser focused on Jesus.

It is an intentional effort to draw into a closer relationship with Jesus that keeps me walking on water. I’m a water walker. I-am-a-water-walker! You-can-walk-on-water-too! To do that you have to keep your eyes on Jesus and not the winds of change that blow against us. Water walking is simply walking in faith every day. It’s walking with Jesus through each and every circumstance that life throws at us. Water walking requires you to get out of the boat and see things from a new perspective, Jesus’ perspective. It means taking risks on a big vision that requires nothing less than God’s intervention. It means getting off the sideline, it means getting out of the pew, and it means getting into the messy world where faith is put into action. Does that get you amp’d up?

What gets you amp’d up? Is it seeing people come down the aisle and giving their lives to Jesus? Is it seeing people buried in the waters of baptism then coming up a new person in Christ? What gets you amp’d up? Does hearing the voice of Jesus calling give you an adrenaline rush? Can you hear Jesus’ voice calling, “come.” Jesus’ voice can be heard above the winds of change. Jesus says “come” and we hear it clearly in the midst of our own transformation. Jesus says “come” and we see him on the waves that rock our lives.

Yes, it may be a bit scary. This is where we must be careful. Fear can do two things. It can freeze us in our tracks or it can get us amp’d up enough to answer Jesus’ call. We need people who are amp’d up enough to get out of the boat, people whose eyes are firmly fixed on Jesus. People who are ready to trust Jesus when logic says don’t. We need some water walkers. Are you amp’d up enough to get out of your boat? Isn’t it time you did a little water walking?

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