Good morning. As we continue today in our series that asks, “Would You Get Wet?” we will look at our last watery story. Then next week will be the revival and we will get to hear from my home minister Mark Seevers. Now, as we have been in this series, we have said don’t get wet when it came to the Parting of the Red Sea and to Noah and the Ark. We did however say that we should get wet when it comes to baptism. And today, as we close this series out in response to our question, “Would you get wet?” we would have to respond, “Probably, but hopefully not.”
If you want to go ahead and turn to Matthew 14:22-33 and hold that spot for a minute. Before we go on, let’s just open with a word of prayer.
Billy Graham writes in his book, Hope For The Troubled Heart about a woman named Claudia.
Claudia was a newlywed in her twenties when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease and given only a 50% chance of survival. Quickly, she was operated on and began treatments that transformed her almost overnight from a young, beautiful woman to a physical wreck.
Her husband was a chaplain’s assistant in a hospital and had seen many sick and dying patients. He said, “In the movies, couples who have fought for years, in the face of danger suddenly forget their differences and come together. But it doesn’t necessarily work that way in real life.”
“When a couple encounters a crisis,” he said, “it magnifies what’s already present in their relationship. Since Claudia and I trust God and love each other deeply, the crisis drove us closer...The crisis of her illness merely...intensified the feelings already present.”
Claudia and her husband had no idea they would ever face such a catastrophe, but when it happened, they found they had already developed the strength to weather the storm.
Many of us will probably never experience the enormity of the crisis that Claudia and her husband faced. But still, there will be some storms, some heartaches, some decisions, some gut-wrenching moments that have the potential for bringing us into a life-changing crisis. What will we do then? Will we be prepared to face it? Will we have the inner resources that we need? If not, then how can we prepare ourselves for that day?
I believe that the unique experience of a fisherman who walked upon the sea of Galilee gives us some hope. Matthew 14:22-33 says, “1”
What an incredible story! And what an awesome demonstration of the power and compassion of Jesus. I’m convinced that if we want to have the resources we’ll need for a time of crisis, then each of us must make our preparations for that day. Every one of us has the ability to rise above the winds and the waves in life, and walk safely across this sea of life. But in order to do so, there are some steps that we must take, there are some lessons that we can learn here from a fisherman at sea. If we desire to do more than struggle to stay afloat there are a few things that we need to do.
First, We Need To Listen To Jesus’ Call
Jesus said, “Come!” and Peter “got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” Now, before we criticize Peter for sinking, let’s honor him for his magnificent demonstration of faith. He dared to be different. Would you be able to do what he did? I mean anybody can sit in the boat and watch, but it takes a person of real faith to leave the boat and walk on the water.
Peter heard the call and he obeyed. If not for his faithful response to Jesus’ invitation to “Come,” Peter would have plunged immediately beneath the waves. The very first preparation that we need is to make sure of our relationship with God, that Jesus is our Savior, and that we are walking toward Him.
What do you suppose would have happened if Peter had jumped out of the boat and started running in the opposite direction? He probably wouldn’t have made it one step! He would have sank beneath the waves and drowned in the sea. And yet, that’s exactly what many of us do when life’s thunderstorms and hurricanes start billowing up.
All too often, when problems occur we withdraw from fellowship, we blame God, and we turn the other way. We wonder to ourselves, “How could God let this happen to me!?” Many people have turned their personal struggles into a weapon against God, claiming that either God is not love or that God doesn’t even exist.
So why does god allow pain and storms to come into our lives? Phillip Yancey, in his book Where Is God When It Hurts, writes, “For most people the problem of pain is not a theoretical problem, a theology game of lining up all of the appropriate reasoning. It is a problem of relationship. Many suffering people want to love God, but cannot see past their tears. They feel hurt and betrayed.”
The absolute worst thing we can do in times of crisis, is to turn away from God. We will never weather the storm, if we don’t listen to Jesus’ call. Instead, we will become bitter and hardened by life. many times that will cause us to be ill-tempered and unlikable.
When “the wind was contrary” and their boat was “beaten by the waves,” Peter was within eyesight and earshot of Jesus, but that wasn’t close enough. When fear and danger was all around, Peter wanted to be closer to his Lord. He launched out onto the sea and drew closer to Jesus.
Every one of us has received an invitation similar to the one Peter responded to. Jesus has said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” You see, Jesus wants each of us to come to Him, to draw close to Him, to share His peace and His comfort with us. But, we must listen and respond to His call. We must come to Jesus. It is a personal decision that each of us has to make.
But as you’ll see, answering the call does not guarantee a safe arrival. The Second step that we must take if we are to walk across the seas of aggravation and anguish, is to...
Look Beyond The Storm
Brave Peter was the only one to step out onto the water, “but seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”” What do you think caused Peter to sink? His faith began to waver because he took his eyes off the Lord and began to look at the circumstances around him. “Why did you doubt?” Jesus asked him. This word translated “doubt” carries the meaning of “standing uncertainly at 2 ways.” Peter started out with great faith but ended up with little faith because he saw 2 ways instead of ONE!
Isn’t that often the problem for us as well? When storms of life are raging and the billows are tossing high, we look around us and see danger, we look within and see fear, but we forget to look up and see Jesus. We as human beings suffer from spiritual short-sightedness. We have an inability to see past our immediate circumstances. Whatever trials or troubles come upon us at the moment become our focal point. We forget to look beyond the dark clouds of this world to the light of Jesus. We become so focused on the “here and now” that we loose sight of our God. Our greatest dangers lie within us, not around us.
Jesus comforted His disciples in John 16:33 by saying, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Storms will come and go--we will have tribulation--but we can take courage that Jesus is our Lord and He is in control. Understanding that may require us to change our perspective, but when we fix our eyes on Jesus we will begin to see things from His viewpoint.
Warren Wiersbe writes, “My wife and I once visited a world-famous weaver and watched his men and women work on the looms. I noticed that the underside of the rugs were not very beautiful: the patterns were obscure and the loose ends dangled. “Don’t judge the worker or the work by the wrong side,” our guide told us. well in the same way, we are looking at the wrong side of life; only the Lord sees the finished pattern. Let’s not judge Him or His work from what we see today. His work is not yet finished!”
You see, we have to realize and accept that this world is just temporary. Nothing here is meant to last. This is just our testing ground. When faced with sickness, death, financial crisis, marital problems, family dysfunction, or whatever else, we must realize that these dark clouds will pass. It is said that King Solomon, feeling depressed, asked his advisors to find him a ring he had seen in a dream. He said, “When I feel satisfied I’m afraid that it won’t last. And when I don’t, I am afraid my sorrow will go on forever. Find me the ring that will ease my suffering.”
Eventually an advisor met an old jeweler who carved into a simple gold band the Hebrew inscription “gam zeh ya’avor”, which means, “this too shall pass.” When the king received his ring and read the inscription his sorrows turned to joy and his joy to sorrows, and then both gave way to peace.
If we fixate on the problems at hand and dwell on the struggles and sorrows of this world, like Peter we will begin to sink, we’ll begin to doubt, and we’ll be swallowed up by the sea. But as Hebrews 12:2 tells us, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,” will enable us to walk on water. So, first we must listen to Jesus’ call. Second, we must look beyond the dark clouds of this world to the light of Heaven. And finally, we must...
Lean On The Arms Of Jesus
When Peter began to sink, he cried out “Lord save me!” and “Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him.” From there the 2 of them walked together back to the boat. Even though Peter began to sink, he was not crushed by the waves because he knew that he could lean on Jesus. If Jesus says, “Come,” then we can trust in Him to see us through. Whatever He starts, He finishes. We may fail along the way, but in the end, God will succeed. Jesus and Peter both walked on the water together and returned to the ship.
The Bible says in Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.” Some of the most encouraging words ever set to music were written by A. Hoffman in 1887:
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning on Jesus, Leaning on Jesus,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning on Jesus, Leaning on Jesus,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Many of you may be familiar with the poem, Footprints In The Sand. I have this copy of the poem hanging in my office, and every time that something goes wrong, or I’m having a bad day, or it seems that God is not helping me much with my work, I turn to that poem and read it.
(Read Poem From Plaque)
What a blessing that at the most terrible and trying times in our lives, we can lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus. When nothing else can help, His love will lift us up. If we will carry our cross, He will carry us. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” In moments of heartache or hurt, we can trust in Him to see us through. He will give us the strength and wisdom we need to overcome. The Bible also tells us in Romans 8:37 that, “in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”
As I close this morning, this experience of Peter and the rest of the apostles in the storm can be an encouragement to us when go through the storms of life. When we find ourselves in the storms of life:
We can listen to Jesus’ call, making sure of our relationship with the Lord.
We can look beyond our present circumstances, realizing that this world and it’s troubles are only temporary.
And we can lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus, who will always see us through.
Peter’s experience turned out to be a blessing to the other disciples as well as himself. When they saw the power of Jesus Christ, in conquering and calming the storm, they could only fall down and worship Him. When Jesus calmed the first storm in Matthew 8:27, the disciples were amazed and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” But now their understanding was clear: “And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.””
Hopefully we can begin to have the kind of faith that will keep us above the water, and as we go through life may we listen, look and lean on God. And one day may we be able to say, “Truly you are the Son of God!”
Let’s Pray |
