The Faith Walk

Guest (Male): Today, with Pastor Jonathan Evans.

Jonathan Evans: How was it that I can obey God and end up in chaos? Some of you are thinking, "I don't even understand why I'm going through all of this. I'm trying to do what He's telling me to do."

He told me to go this direction. He told me to go this way. He told me to take this job. He told me to make this move. He told me to marry this person. He told us to have more kids. Whatever it is, you're thinking, "Why am I now sitting in chaos and I'm obedient to what Jesus said?"

Guest (Male): You're listening to The Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. In a moment, Jonathan will continue today's message, but first, to thank you for your support of this ministry, Jonathan has a couple of gifts for you.

The first is the audio series called The Message in the Miracles, equipping you to shift focus to Jesus as your ultimate source and letting His breakthrough happen. The second part of this gift is the book Victory is Yours. In this book, you'll find 100 uplifting devotions packed with Scripture and daily motivation.

I'll tell you more about these later in today's program, or you can call right now at 1-800-800-3222 or visit tonyevans.org to learn more. Now, let's get started with Jonathan's message, Walking on Chaos.

Jonathan Evans: Peter said, "It's better for me in this storm to get out of the boat." I don't know if you realize how crazy that thought is. People don't get out of boats in storms. People don't leave boats in the middle of the sea or in the middle of the ocean.

This storm was so chaotic that Peter thought to himself, "It's better to try Jesus outside of the boat than it is for me to stay in my natural scenario and way of doing things. Because the way that I'm doing it is not working."

So he took a step out of the boat. He said, "I can't do what's ordinary in order to experience what's extraordinary. I can't stay in the natural if I want to experience the supernatural. I'm going to have to do something different. I'm going to step out of the boat into the water."

When I was young, we went on a cruise. My parents took the family on a cruise and my dad talked about this a long, long time ago where we hit a storm. The captain could have taken us on the inside channel, but he had to get back to get the other passengers, so he decided to go through the storm.

This storm had 60 to 80-foot waves all night long. This cruise ship was getting tossed around like a tin can. It was hitting the waves, boom, and it was coming down. I remember eating dinner and plates were flying across the cafeteria. Tables were turning, chairs were all over the place. People were picking up the paper bags to do you-know-what because it was so rocky and wavy going through this storm.

I was a kid, so I didn't know any better. I'm running up and down the hallways, but my mom was frustrated. Some of you might remember this. She went and found the captain. See, some of y'all know Mama Lo, but you don't really know Mama Lo.

She went and found the captain and said, "Why in the world would you take us through this storm?" She's the lady that at the restaurant, if the food don't come right, she's going to say something. "Give me the manager."

She said, "Why in the world would you take us through this storm when you had this inside passage?" The captain looked at her and said, "It's okay. I need you to calm down. This ship was built with this storm in mind." She said, "Yeah, that sounds good, but I'm not. I needed you to go through the inside passage."

But one thing we weren't going to do in a storm like that when it's raging is get off the boat. Getting off the boat is not an option. Peter's storm and the disciples' storm was so bad that Peter said to himself, "Let me step off of this boat. Let me do it not in the normal way, but let me walk toward Jesus in what I'm going through. Because evidently, I need something else to keep me afloat and it's not going to be this boat."

What makes this a miracle is not just that Peter was walking on water, but he was walking on chaos. It's a miracle when a person learns how to walk on chaos. It's a miracle when someone learns how to walk on the sea.

Let me help you understand the sea in the Bible. Revelation 21:1 says John saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth passed away and there was no longer any sea. After that, he talks about what else is not there: darkness, death, mourning, and crying. Those things are not in eternity. But what he starts out with is the sea is no longer a part of it.

In Isaiah 57:20, it says the wicked are troubled like the sea. They're out of control. They're tossing up like dirt and mire. So throughout the Bible, the Bible looks at the sea as a picture of chaos, which is why it's not a part of eternity.

So when Peter is walking on the sea, he's walking on in history what Jesus will make permanent in eternity. Therefore, he's not waiting until eternity to subdue something in history. He's subduing in history what Jesus makes permanent in eternity.

There's too many people who are waiting until eternity to subdue what Jesus can give you the power to subdue in history. He's giving him a miracle to be able to walk on the sea. It's a miracle when you can walk in a mess. It's a miracle when you can be calm in chaos.

It's an absolute miracle when you can be tranquil in turmoil. When you have peace in your pain, when you're able to do that, people don't even understand it. "How in the world, if you're going through all of these things that you're going through, are you able to be stable in instability?"

That's what Peter is doing. He said, "Lord, if it is you, permit me to come to you on this chaos." You've got to understand something. They're in a storm in the context of obedience. They obeyed God, and He led them into chaos. Jesus said in Matthew 14:22, "Get into the boat, go ahead of me to the other side." Okay, let's do it. What in the world just happened?

How was it that I can obey God and end up in chaos? Some of you are thinking, "I don't even understand why I'm going through all of this. I'm trying to do what He's telling me to do." He told me to go this direction. He told me to go this way. He told me to take this job. He told me to make this move. He told me to marry this person. He told us to have more kids. Whatever it is, you're thinking, "Why am I now sitting in chaos and I'm obedient to what Jesus said?"

That's the confusion the disciples are in. We're doing what you said to do and now we're in chaos. Many of us would say, "If it's a chaotic situation, well, it couldn't have been God. If this stuff is messed up, no, it can't be God. Maybe I thought I heard Him, but I didn't. He told me to move, but ever since I moved, it's been chaos. He told you to move to Texas in August, it feels like Satan breathing on you. No, that ain't God. That can't be the Lord."

Because I know what we say. I know that the Lord will not put more on me than I can bear. That is not in the Bible. There were several people shocked. You're thinking of 1 Corinthians 10:13 where God says He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear but provide a way of escape. A temptation and a storm are not the same thing.

God will most certainly allow you to experience more than you can bear. Ask Job. Ask Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 8 and 9. They said it was too much for me to bear. It was utterly more than I can bear. It was beyond my strength. I despaired of life itself. That's what Paul said. And what was he doing? What God told him.

So He'll definitely put more on you than you can bear because only then will you strain enough to realize that you don't work. "Let me get out of my situation and follow and trust Jesus." In growing up in our life, it's about becoming more independent. That's the sign of maturity. Growing up in the Christian life is about becoming more dependent. That's the sign of maturity.

God will allow you to go through chaos because chaos was actually the precursor for Peter experiencing his miracle. For some of us, without chaos, we'd never get out of the boat. We'd never stop depending on ourselves. We'd never stop depending on our way. We'd never stop depending on our finances, our friends, our relationship, our history, our mentality, our thoughts. We would never stop depending on us. We would have no reason to depend on Jesus. But when life goes flat, all of a sudden everybody's praying.

So He allowed this chaos as a precursor for the miracle and here they are in it through the context of obedience.

Guest (Male): More of The Faith Walk with Pastor Jonathan Evans in a moment. Have you ever wondered what is God's plan for your life? Or do you feel like you're not sure what to do when you're struggling?

Right now, Jonathan wants to give you a book called Victory is Yours with 100 uplifting devotions packed with Scripture and daily motivations, helping you trust that your struggles aren't wasted in God's kingdom and He'll never leave you empty-handed. This book is our gift to you as a thanks for your donation to help support the ministry of the Urban Alternative.

Included in the book is Jonathan's four-part audio series, The Message in the Miracles. Discover how Jesus' miracles unlocked victory, restoration, and deliverance in your crisis through active faith, obedience, and bold action. Both the devotional book Victory is Yours and the four-part audio series The Message in the Miracles are our way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible.

Get all the details online at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. Find your way out of distractions and into God's purpose for your life. Now, let's get back to Jonathan with the rest of today's message.

Jonathan Evans: He allowed this chaos as a precursor for the miracle and here they are in it through the context of obedience. Now, why would God put me in a storm if I'm obedient? There are two types of storms. There are storms for correction. That's Jonah. You didn't listen, you're going to be in this storm. And for many of us, that's why we're in it. There are storms that I've been in in my own life because I was not listening.

So you have storms for correction, but then there are storms for perfection where God will use the storm to correct you, but God can also use the storm to perfect you. In other words, He's using this storm in the context of obedience as a refining process for their purpose. God will use the storms to refine you to where He's taking you.

So what is He refining in the disciples? Through the context of obedience to me, disciples, you will hit storms. I, your Master, suffered, so what do you think happens to those who follow me? I need you to be ready to walk on the future storms based on learning the lesson of walking on the current storm.

What command would He give His disciples in the future that they needed to get ready for now? "Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that I have commanded you. And lo, I will be with you until the end of the age."

When they obeyed that, do you know what happened? You ever read the Book of Acts? James got killed by the sword. Peter and John got thrown in prison. They got persecuted and beaten. All they did was what Jesus told them to do. But by now, they had figured out how to walk on chaos because He prepared them in Matthew 14.

This was a preparation process of them learning how to walk on the chaos even when they're in the chaos through the context of obedience. They were obedient to God and verse 24 of Matthew 14 says that they were a long distance from the land. They were beaten by the waves and the winds were contrary.

Some of us are in obedience and you're trying to do what God tells you to do, but you still feel like you're a long way from stability. You still feel like you're being beaten up by life and you feel like the winds are contrary to where you think God told you to go. Why is the wind blowing me back from where God told me to go? It says in Mark 6:48 that they were straining at the oars just trying to do what God called them to do. They were straining at the oars and many of us today, if the truth be told, you are straining, trying to pull yourself forward to get yourself out of this mess and out of this chaos.

And they weren't making any progress. Is there anybody in here who feels like you ain't making no progress? You're straining at the oars and you're trying to stay afloat but you're not making any progress. All you're doing is trying to be obedient to what God is telling you to do. And in your obedience, you're straining at the oars, not making any progress. You're still getting beaten up by life. You're a long way from stability. These disciples feel you.

Because it's a hard thing to reconcile when I'm obedient and I'm straining just to try to get to the next step. And then here He comes. Verse 25 says in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came to them walking on the water. Y'all didn't hear that. In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came to them walking on what was tossing them around.

Jesus came to them walking on the chaos. Jesus came to them walking on the turmoil and He did it at the fourth watch of the night. While they were straining, He was strolling. While they were in chaos, He was calm. While they were being overcome, He was overcoming. Jesus was showing them that what's too difficult for you is not too difficult for me.

Jesus comes to them in the fourth watch of the night and He comes to them walking on their problem. Now, I love that it says He came to them in the fourth watch of the night. The fourth watch was how the Romans would tell time between sunset and sunrise. They would give it four quarters. So from about sunset at about 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM was quarter number one. From 10:00 PM to midnight was quarter number two. From midnight to 3:00 AM was quarter number three. And from 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM was quarter number four.

Jesus came to them in the fourth quarter. Now, come on Jesus. Why are you going to wait until the winds are the strongest, it's the darkest, it's the latest, the storm is the heaviest? Why are you going to add the suffix to our situation? Because when He comes, He wants you to add a suffix to His name. He doesn't want you to think He's true. He wants you to think He's the truest. He doesn't want you to think He's real. He wants you to know He's the realest. He doesn't want you to think He's strong. He wants you to know He's the strongest.

So He will add a suffix to your circumstances so you add the appropriate suffix to His name. He came in the fourth watch of the night, in the fourth quarter, to also let them know you couldn't get yourself out, could you? Because if you could, you would have gotten out in the first quarter. You would have gotten out in the second quarter. You would have gotten out in the third quarter. You're still here and the game almost over. You need Jesus.

Waiting on the Lord is hard, but it teaches you a valuable lesson. He said in the fourth watch of the night, He shows up. I love the picture of Jesus walking on the chaos. Can you picture Jesus? I mean, waves everywhere. You've got to picture it in your mind and then you're more blown away than just reading it. Because you read it and you kind of just keep reading.

But you've got to understand, they're getting tossed, knocked around, winds, they can't go nowhere, they ain't doing nothing productive because of how chaotic this storm is. Thunder, dark, lightning, storms, winds, waves, Jesus. Walking on this chaos.

What is this picturing? Jesus is in the storm with them, but He's not affected like they're affected. Jesus is experiencing what they are experiencing, but He's not overcome by any of it. He's done this through His entire life. Jesus experienced the chaos of life but overcame all of it.

Most people don't realize that Jesus's life was traumatic the whole time. From the moment He was born, Herod set out to kill Him. In His own hometown, they tried to throw Him off of a cliff. The Pharisees and the scribes always were trying to find a stone to stone Him. His own disciple betrayed Him. The people that He came to save rejected Him. Then as God, you're allowing people that you created to crucify you?

His whole life was rejection, betrayal, marginalization. His whole life was chaotic, but even through the chaos, He was overcoming it all. So He's letting you see this picture of Jesus walking on what you're struggling with. Walking on what's chaos in your life. The things that are holding you down, He's standing on top of it. That means if He can overcome the difficulties, then you should look to Him when it gets difficult.

As Jeremiah 32:27 says, "I'm God. Is anything too difficult for me?" No. Go to church, but I'm going to figure this out. I heard a word, but I'm going to figure this out. No, you're not. Jesus came to them and He is the solution. You've tried it all. You're in the fourth quarter. You're breaking down and you're at the point where you're about to break. Jesus is giving you the illustration to let you know, "Don't be afraid of me. Come to me."

Now, why did I say afraid? "Don't be afraid of me." Because if you notice in verse 26, the disciples said, "It's a ghost," and they were afraid. They thought it was Casper. It was Christ. They were afraid because a lot of times when you're looking at the truth through the context of your storm, it looks like a distortion. They're looking at the truth through the context of emotionally being in turmoil.

Somebody can bring somebody the word, and when they're in turmoil, they'll say, "I don't need that Bible stuff right now. I don't need church. I don't need to be preached to. I don't need any of that stuff. I just need to make it out." Keep rowing.

Guest (Male): That was Pastor Jonathan Evans. Before you go today, I want to remind you that we have a couple of gifts for you: Jonathan's devotional called Victory is Yours and his four-part audio series, The Message in the Miracles.

The devotional can be your go-to for facing trials with Jesus' power, vanquishing obstacles, and living victoriously by claiming Christ's cross as your own triumph. You'll gain powerful reminders of His faithfulness to preserve towards His purpose for your life, plus practical steps and insights to win any battle. The audio series will equip you to shift focus to Jesus as your ultimate source, understanding obedient faith to let His breakthrough happen.

Both the devotional called Victory is Yours and his four-part audio series, The Message in the Miracles, are a gift to you to thank you for your donation to help support the ministry of the Urban Alternative. It's our way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible. Call 1-800-800-3222 anytime or get all the details online at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. Find your way out of distractions and into God's purpose for your life.

Thank you for listening to The Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. The Faith Walk is produced as a part of the Urban Alternative, a ministry of Dr. Tony Evans.