Sermon Tone Analysis

Sinking Confidence

Early church fathers interpret at a text like Matthew 14:22-33, through the lens of allegory.

The disciples in the boat would be the church.

The storm would represent the chaotic world working agains the church.

As I said before, I don’t think allegory is the proper lens to interpret this text, however, I do see some parallels of between Peter’s weak faith in Jesus and and the church loosing confidence in Jesus Christ to reconcile and restore sinners through His redemption.

Peter is in the boat.

He is following Jesus.

He even asks Jesus to call him to step out of the boat into storm enduring, wave walking obedience.

At some point in Peter’s journey to Jesus, he takes his focus off of Christ and turns it toward the world.

By turning it to the world looses confidence in Jesus’ power and desire to sustain him and he begins to sink.

The church is in the boat.

We are followers of Jesus.

We’ve asked Jesus for revival.

We’ve asked him for faith, even wave walking faith.

But somewhere in our journey, we have lost sight of Jesus.

We’ve turned our eyes toward the world.

We put our confidence in worldliness; using the world the reach sinners.

The church needs to be seeker sensitive.

Don’t talk about sin.

Don’t talk about a need for repentance.

Don’t talk about God’s wrath or eternal hell.

Don’t teach doctrine or theology.

Instead, put together culturally sensitive praise band who will set a mystic tone and atmosphere with smoke and lights, while it plays sets of music that keep the listener at the center of worship, leading them on an emotional roller coaster.

Then hire a spiritual motivational speaker who can create short engaging self-help sermonettes that shows how Jesus is your therapist.

The speaker will give you three ways Jesus can heal all your emotional problems, fix your bad relationships, appease your inner child, and help you live your best life now.

This is what loosing your confidence in Jesus looks like.

It is so rampant in the church, that many professing believers are offended when Christ-honoring, God glorifying, Bible saturated, Spirit empowered music and preaching is presented.

Its as if they cannot recognize Jesus.

Aside from not being able to recognize Jesus in the church, another consequence of loosing confidence in the power of the gospel of Jesus to reconcile and restore sinners through his redemptive work is apathy for his kingdom.

An apathetic heart for joyfully advancing the kingdom of God by making much of Jesus, makes the church apathetic for reaching the lost and it becomes irrelevant to its community.

In turn the community becomes apathetic toward the church.

Church goers recluse themselves inside the walls of the church Sunday by Sunday loosing more and more confidence in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The church, like Peter, begins to sink.

The church’s problem is the same as Peter’s problem.

Peter didn’t see Jesus correctly to worship him properly so that he could obey him fully.

Correct seeing.

Proper worship.

Full obedience.

Peter did not See Jesus Correctly

In Matthew 14:22, Jesus immediately compels his disciples to get in a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee.

Why did Jesus compel his disciples to get into a boat and leave?

It is likely that the crowds were getting stirred up in a Messianic fervor.

Israel had been anticipating the Messiah.

When Jesus started healing the sick, casting out demons, and teaching with authority, the people begin to think that Jesus was the Messianic king they had been waiting to arrive; the promised prophet of Moses.

After Jesus fed over 5,000 people, John says John 6:15 that Jesus knew the people were getting ready to take him by force to make him the king.

They thought the Messiah would come as a Warrior King who would overthrow Rome and reestablish Israel as a sovereign nation.

They did not understand Isaiah’s Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53) who would come first as a sacrifice for the iniquities of His people.

Jesus’ disciples were likely getting caught up the the Messianic fervor, believing Jesus was the Warrior king.

So, Jesus told Peter and the disciples to leave quickly and he would disperse the crowds.

Peter did not worship Jesus Properly

The last time Peter was in a boat during a storm it was with Jesus resting in the stern.

After Jesus rebukes the wind and the seas the disciples ask, “Who is this that even the winds and the seas obey him?”

To the reader, the answer is a no brainer.

Jesus the Son of God.

He is the second person of the Holy Trinity.

The disciples, however, never answer the question.

Yes, their perceptive of Jesus has changed, but it did not move their heart to worship him as the Son of God.

At the end of this scene, the disciples worshiped Jesus.

When Peter got into the boat, he was following Jesus.

He was not, however, worshiping Jesus.

Because he did nit see Jesus correctly as the Son of God, he could not worship Jesus properly as the Son of God.

This affected his faith and obedience.

Peter did not obey Jesus fully

Peter is bold.

He sees Jesus and says, “Since it is you Lord, command me to come to you.”

Peter had faith and Peter wanted to go to Jesus.

Peter wanted to obey Jesus.

He stepped out of the boat, which none of the other disciples hurried to do.

Peter is to be commended for his faith and initial obedience.

That being said, Peter’s faithful obedience got him out of the boat, but it could not get him all the way to Jesus.

Once he turned his eyes away from Jesus, he stopped obeying Jesus.

That is when he began to sink.

FBCL is in the same boat as Peter.

If we are going to be effective in joyfully advancing the kingdom of God by making much of Jesus until the church, community, and home joyfully abide in Jesus, we must see Jesus correctly to worship him rightly so we can obey him fully.

Four glorious truths of Jesus the Sovereign Son of God

This morning I want to see Jesus as the Son of God through four truths.

Imagine you are putting a kaleidoscope to your eyes, and each truth a a click to another picture of His glory.

As you see each glorious truth you become more convinced that he is the Son of God and gain a great confidence to live by the four facets of faith he requires of you.

Jesus is the sovereign Son of God who chose to obey His Father’s will than the fear of man.

In Matthew 14:22-23

You already know that there was a stir among the crowd to take Jesus by force to make him King in

But Jesus rejected the crowd’s fervor.

John already reveled in part why.

He says

Jesus knew man’s praise was fickle, like smoke in the wind.

it is here in a moment and gone in an instant.

If you think that Jesus’ temptations ceased after his time in the wilderness, you’d be mistaken.

We have a High priest who understand completely what it means to be human and can sympathize with our weaknesses in every way (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus had the entire community at his feet wanting to make him king.

Any man would’ve given into the fear of man and his vain glory.

Jesus, however, did not entrust himself to the crowd but instead, he turned to His Father’s will.

Jesus withdrew and went to the mountain to pray to His Father.

Jesus came to glorify His Father by obeying His will.

Jesus would not surrender himself to the people until His hour had come.

And when he surrendered himself to the people, it was not for them to make him their king, it was to die on a cross so he could be their Savior.

Jesus is the sovereign Son of God who reveals His glory through praying and waiting.

There are two glorious insights to see here.

Jesus prays

When Jesus dismissed the crowds it was likely late evening time.

He had already fed them loaves of bread and fish (Matthew 14:15-21).