LET JESUS IN THE BOAT

Table of Contents

1. Opening Greeting and Gratitude
2. The Theme Continues: Jesus Only Acts From the Father’s Initiation
3. Looking Away From the Natural Realm: Hebrews 12:2 as the Foundation
4. “Let Jesus in the Boat”: John 6:21 and the Storm Ending Immediately
5. Why the Gospels Read Differently: John’s Emphasis on Grace
6. Law Versus Grace: The Boat as a Picture of Toiling, Striving, and Getting Nowhere
7. Receiving Grace and Righteousness: Romans 5:17 and Reigning in Life
8. Rightly Dividing Law and Grace: Second Timothy 2:15 and Seeing Jesus
9. Final Encouragement: Put the Oars Away and Let Him Bring You Through

Opening Greeting and Gratitude

Pastor Leonard and Pastor Lori open by greeting everyone and emphasizing that they are live. They express heartfelt love and appreciation to the viewers and supporters, thanking them for cards, letters, emails, encouraging words, gifts, and offerings. Pastor Leonard explains that this support helps them do what God has called them to do and to “grow the kingdom.” Pastor Lori adds that the supporters have been “God’s hand extended” in many ways.

Pastor Leonard then shares that Pastor Lori had mentioned she wanted to share some scriptures and thoughts, so he intended to follow her lead. Pastor Lori explains that the theme from his recent Zoom teaching matched the same theme they had been on Sunday and Tuesday, and that it deeply impacted her. She describes feeling stirred for hours as the Holy Spirit brought her back again and again to the heavenly realm and spiritual reality behind how Jesus lived and ministered.

The Theme Continues: Jesus Only Acts From the Father’s Initiation

Pastor Lori recalls the theme Pastor Leonard had been teaching: that Jesus only did what He heard and saw from the Father. She emphasizes that this communication was not in the natural, physical realm but in the spiritual and heavenly realm. Pastor Leonard reinforces this point, stressing that even though God anointed Jesus, He still did not act independently. He did nothing unless the Father initiated it.

They present this as a picture of what real faith and real authority look like: authority that flows from God’s initiation rather than human self-effort. They highlight that Jesus could hear the Father’s initiation, and that He lived and moved from that place.

Looking Away From the Natural Realm: Hebrews 12:2 as the Foundation

Pastor Lori explains that they began on Sunday with Hebrews 12:2, and they returned to it on Tuesday as well, to the point where she says it feels like it is “in” her now. She paraphrases and emphasizes the idea that we look away from the natural realm and focus our attention and expectation on Jesus. She describes it as more than a glance, but a focused attention with expectation.

She then states the verse they anchored to: Hebrews 12:2, describing Jesus as the one who “birthed faith” in us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. As she talks about it, she repeatedly brings it back to the spiritual realm: Jesus is not physically here taking our hand, but He leads and guides us spiritually.

She addresses a common struggle: people say, “I don’t hear Jesus.” She responds strongly that yes, believers do hear Him, because believers are spirit beings. She emphasizes that faith itself involves the unseen, because people believe in God without having seen Him, and that the Christian life is rooted in the heavenly realm.
When they refer again to Hebrews 12:2, the full verse is:
Hebrews 12:2- Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

“Let Jesus in the Boat

Pastor Lori transitions to what Pastor Leonard taught on the Wednesday night Zoom, where he was going verse by verse through the Gospel of John. She says he reached John 6:21, and she reads and describes the scene: the disciples are on the boat, caught in a terrible storm in the dark, and they are far from land. She recounts that they were roughly halfway through an eight-mile trip, around three and a half to four miles in, which made the situation feel even more intense and helpless.

She describes Jesus walking on the sea toward them, the disciples being afraid, and Jesus telling them not to fear. Then she emphasizes the key line: they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately they arrived at the land they were heading to. She explains that she had read this all her life and used to think, “That’s pretty neat,” and then move on. But she says Pastor Leonard “dissected” it and helped them see what was really happening.

The verse they centered on is John 6:21, and the full verse is:

John 6:21- Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

Pastor Lori draws out what impacted her: once they willingly received Jesus, the storm was over, and not only was the storm over, but they were suddenly where they needed to be. She highlights the shift of focus: they took their minds off the natural realm (the storm, the fear, the threat) and put their attention on the spiritual reality of Jesus. She points out how extraordinary it is that Jesus walked miles on water, at night, in the storm, to come to them. In her view, that alone forces your attention off the natural and onto the spiritual.

She connects this directly back to Hebrews 12:2: taking your eyes off the natural realm and focusing your attention and expectation on Jesus. She emphasizes the “wham” moment: receiving Jesus, storm over, instantly arriving where they were going.

When she ties it back again to Hebrews 12:2, the full verse remains:

Hebrews 12:2- Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Why the Gospels Read Differently: John’s Emphasis on Grace

Pastor Leonard responds by clarifying something many people get confused about: there is only one event of Jesus walking on water, but it can feel like two different events because each Gospel writer records it differently. He explains that each Gospel had a purpose and an audience. He says Matthew wrote primarily to a Jewish audience, so you see many places where Jesus is shown adhering to and fulfilling the law. Mark has his own reason for writing, and John’s Gospel is different in its emphasis. Pastor Leonard describes John as focusing on the love of God and the grace of God.

He explains that John’s account leaves out details that are included elsewhere, such as Jesus sending the crowd away, instructing the disciples to get in the boat, and then going up to pray. He also notes that Peter’s moment of asking to come to Jesus on the water is not included in John’s account. He says this matters because John is communicating something specific: a grace-centered picture. He then goes back to how John starts his Gospel and highlights the covenant contrast John establishes from the beginning: law and grace. He quotes the verse about Moses and Jesus Christ to show that John immediately separates the covenants.

The verse he cites is John 1:17, and the full verse is:

John 1:17- For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Pastor Leonard pauses on how striking it is that the verse says “the law was given by Moses,” and he notes that John does not call it “the law of God,” but “the law” connected to Moses. From there, he explains that John’s Gospel emphasizes that God did not come to judge and condemn, but to save, and that Jesus is all about grace and God is all about love. He stresses a major theme of grace: it is not about what we do, or what we have to do, but about what God has done through Jesus and what Jesus has accomplished for us.

Law Versus Grace: The Boat as a Picture of Toiling, Striving, and Getting Nowhere

Pastor Leonard begins to interpret the disciples’ experience as a picture of the difference between law and grace. He explains that in the boat, the disciples are stuck in the middle of the lake, toiling, striving, rowing, and not getting anywhere. He repeats that they were working and striving, but making no progress.

Then the wind and waves intensify, and fear, anxiety, and worry rise. He describes this as them focusing on the natural realm: focusing on what they have to do, their work, their effort. He paints this as a vivid picture of life under law: striving for righteousness by effort, trying to “do” to please God, and ending up stuck.

At this point, he makes a strong statement: the law cannot make anyone righteous, and the law does not put you into the right position of peace with God. He says only one thing does that: faith in Jesus Christ for righteousness.

He then describes Jesus approaching as a picture of grace coming to them. He reflects on the distance and time: they were stuck for a long time, focused on effort and not getting anywhere. He emphasizes the lesson: the more a person keeps their eyes on the natural realm, on what they need to do, on striving and effort, the longer the journey becomes.

Then he expresses the heart of grace in this story: grace says, “Let me in.” Receive Jesus into your heart, receive Him into your spirit, and something miraculous happens in the inner person when faith is placed in Jesus Christ. He describes that moment as union and recognition: the spirit within recognizes its union with the Spirit of God, and from that place flows empowerment, enablement, blessing, direction, strength, peace, encouragement, health, and healing.

Receiving Grace and Righteousness: Romans 5:17 and Reigning in Life

Pastor Leonard then brings in Romans 5:17 to describe the believer’s position when they receive grace and righteousness. He quotes it while emphasizing the phrase “received the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness,” and then he speaks about believers reigning in life through Jesus Christ, “as kings.”

The verse cited is Romans 5:17, and the full verse is:
Romans 5:17- For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

He frames this as part of understanding grace correctly: receiving, possessing, and growing in understanding of grace and the Holy Spirit’s empowerment. He stresses that grace is not about intensified striving, but about receiving what Jesus has provided.

Rightly Dividing Law and Grace: Second Timothy 2:15 and Seeing Jesus

Pastor Leonard explains that believers must “rightly divide,” and he refers to Paul’s instruction to Timothy about remembering grace, learning it, and teaching it. He connects this to being a faithful worker and stresses that the Word must be divided with a “straight cut,” separating the law of Moses from the grace of Jesus Christ.

He cites Second Timothy 2:15 as the verse that commands this kind of careful dividing.

2 Timothy 2:15- Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

He then returns to Hebrews 12:2 and the need to “see Jesus.” He emphasizes that the disciples saw Jesus, took their eyes off the natural realm, off fear, worry, and striving, and received Jesus. He explains that in the same way, believers receive the message of grace, the gift of His anointing, the gift of empowerment, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

He describes the result as immediate inner change: fear gone, anxiety gone, stress gone, striving gone, toiling gone, and a settled peace. He restates that they instantly reached the other side and calls this an image of what grace does. He contrasts it directly: the more we strive and believe it is up to us, the longer it takes to reach the shoreline; the more we receive grace and rest in it, the more we are led and guided, and we can stop rowing and arrive.

When they reference Hebrews 12:2 again in this context, the full verse is:
Hebrews 12:2- Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Final Encouragement: Put the Oars Away and Let Him Bring You Through

Pastor Lori affirms how well it all fits together. Pastor Leonard then adds brief acknowledgments to viewers joining live and reiterates that they are truly live.

Pastor Lori closes with a practical encouragement that sums up the teaching: “Let Jesus in the boat.” She urges people to worry about nothing, let Him come in, and let Him give His peace. She encourages believers to get to the other side of the storm through Him, not through self-effort. She emphasizes that “He’s done it,” and that He does not want believers to worry.

She describes Jesus’ love for the disciples as shown by His action: He walked out onto the water, got into the boat, and brought them to the other side. She says He knew He was going to do it, and she calls it an example for believers. She encourages everyone to let Him take the storms.

Pastor Leonard then adds that Jesus was intentionally transitioning the disciples from law to grace, and that the event gave them the “biggest picture” of law: working, striving, rowing, effort, and not getting anywhere. Then grace comes: let grace in. He says many believers have grace but do not fully understand the empowerment of grace. Once grace is realized, believers can rest, put the oars away, stop rowing, stop striving, and reach the shoreline where they were going, because God and grace get them there.

He ends by describing the peace that “passes understanding” as supernatural, just as supernatural as instantly arriving at the other side of the lake. They close by telling the viewers they love them, they will see them Sunday, and they pray for them all the time.

Thank you for reading this message from Pastors Leonard and Lori Rola. We hope this teaching blessed you and encouraged you to take your eyes off the natural realm and let Jesus bring you His peace. If this helped you, please share this teaching with someone who needs encouragement today.