32 14.22

INTRODUCTION

SLIDE 1 I want to tell you about this vision I had last week. I’m not claiming it came from God, it’s just this picture that came to mind. As I was lying in bed drifting off to sleep I saw this picture. In my mind it’s very clear, but trying to explain it to you may not be quite so clear so I’ve tried to find some pictures to illustrate it. I’m also going to give you the cleaned up version that I have as I think back on it. It wasn’t quite this clear as I originally saw it.

SLIDE 2 I’m lying on my stomach looking off the ledge of a tall building. I’m lying down because I don’t want to get that close to the edge standing up. I’m not afraid of heights, but I am afraid of falling from tall heights. There’s no reason to mess around from this high up so I lay down so I can get a good view. If you look out from this height you can see for miles. It’s a great view of the city. However, if look straight down SLIDE 3 you see the shorter buildings around you, and the streets below you, but you can’t see any people because their too small. Even the care and buses look smaller than ants at this height. If you have any fear of heights this view makes you a little queasy.

As I lie there on my stomach taking in the view I hear a voice behind me telling me to stand up. And I heard verses like:

SLIDE 4 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. (1 Corinthians 16: 13)

SLIDE 5 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Ephesians 6:11)

SLIDE 6 . . . because it is by faith you stand firm. (2 Corinthians 1:24)

SLIDE 7 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:21)

SLIDE 8 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! (Philippians 4:1)

I didn’t want to stand up. It looked like it was a long way down. SLIDE 9 But as I began to stand up the view changed. Then I saw I wasn’t actually lying on the ledge of a tall building, SLIDE 10 but on a step. Lying on my stomach I couldn’t get a correct view. But after I stood up I could see things more accurately.

I think that is a picture of our obedience to God. God calls up to step out in faith and obey him. As we consider what he’s called us to do it looks like that ledge. It looks dangerous. We’re not sure it’s safe. But if we’ll stand firm in our faith and see it from God’s eternal point of view it’s not a ledge but only a step.

What is God calling you to do? Where do you need to step out and obey him? What’s stopping you? Is it a fear of the unknown? Paul wrote to Timothy – who must have experienced some fear in his life – and said: SLIDE 11

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Or as the NLT puts it:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Maybe it’s a lack of faith that keeps you from obeying. Paul reminded the Corinthians: SLIDE 12

For we live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

And John wrote: SLIDE 13

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. (2 John 6)

Where do you need to step out in faith and obey God?

SERMON

We are finishing Matthew 14 this evening. Just to remind you what has preceded this passage, the chapter opens with the death of John the Baptist. When Jesus hears about it he heads out on a boat alone. However, the crowds follow him along the shore. Having compassion on them he lands the boat and begins healing their sick. As evening approaches the disciples encourage him to send the crowds away to get something eat, but Jesus suggests they feed the crowd. They protest that they don’t have enough food – only two fish and three loaves – and Jesus feeds the crowd of five men plus women and children with the little bit of food they give him and has twelve baskets full of leftovers after everyone has eaten. Sensing that the crowd wants to take him by force and make him king, Jesus sends the disciples off in a boat. That’s where we pick up for this week’s video.

Video

You’ve probably heard the quote: SLIDE 1

Into every life a storm will come.

I was looking for that quote and came across these quotes about the storms of life.

SLIDE 2 We simply can’t abandon ship every time we encounter a storm in our marriage. Real love is about weathering the storms of life together.

SLIDE 3 Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

SLIDE 4 When you come out of a storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what the storm is all about.

SLIDE 5 God’s peace is not the calm after the storm. It’s the steadfastness during it.

There were lots more, but I won’t show them. Why are there so many quotes about facing storms in our lives. There are so many because we all face storms. Not to be a pessimist, but someone has said that we are either in a storm, just leaving a storm, or heading into a storm. That’s because we all have storms. You may be in a storm right now and know exactly what I’m talking about. Or, it may be peaceful for you right now, but we all face storms.

In our passage the disciples had a storm – a physical storm. As we think about this passage there are several truths I want to point out that we might draw from this story.

SLIDE 6 The first truth is that Jesus sends you there.

Why were the disciples on the lake in the middle of that storm? They were in that storm because that’s where Jesus had sent them. Jesus is the one that told them to get into their boat.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. (Matthew 14:22)

This was his idea. This is exactly where Jesus wanted them. They weren’t in the storm because they were disobeying Jesus. They were facing this storm because they were obeying Jesus. Jesus is on the mountain praying and the disciples are out on the lake battling a storm only because Jesus sent them there.

Often, probably more often than not, we face storms because we or someone we love have made a bad decision. But that wasn’t the case for the disciples. They are in this storm only because they obeyed Jesus. And you may be in a similar situation. You may face a storm not because of a bad decision, but because you decided to do the right thing. You may face a storm because you decided to follow Jesus.

Do you think Jesus knew the storm was coming? We have every indication from the Bible that he did. Jesus knew and he still sent the disciples out into it. Similarly, Jesus knows before we do when a storm is coming.

We should never be surprised when storms come. Jesus warned us that they would. Jesus warned that we would face persecution and hostility. Jesus, like the rest of the New Testament, warned that we would have trouble.

Jesus warned about those who would leave him in the midst of the storm in the parable of the soils. Jesus compared the seed that fell among the rocks to those who heard the good news, received it, but them fell away when hardship came. It’s easy to follow Jesus when everything is calm. Are we able to follow Jesus in the storm?

Some people believe that Jesus has abandoned them when they face storms, but the Bible says the opposite is true. The Bible says that he is closer to those who face trials. David tells us that: SLIDE 7

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

Storms don’t mean that God is far away, they are indications that God is even closer.

SLIDE 8 One result of storms for most Christians is that it causes them to pray more. Right? When we are in storms we pray like we’ve never prayed. But let me ask what do we usually pray? Our prayers usually go along this line: “Lord, get me out of this storm.” But how often do we pray, “Lord, use this storm to draw me closer to you”? “Lord, use this storm to make me more like you.”

There are two kinds of storms that we face: the correcting storm and the perfecting storm.

Jonah faced the correcting storm. God told Jonah to go preach to the Ninevites, Isreal’s dreaded enemy. Jonah doesn’t want to preach to them so he runs away in the opposite direction and gets in a boat. Not long after they get away from the shore God sends a storm. The sailors can’t figure out why the storm has come and Jonah tells them – “It’s because I have disobeyed God.” Jonah – and by extension the sailors on the boat – faced the storm not because Jonah was doing what he was supposed to be doing, but because he was disobeying God. The storm was sent to correct Jonah and to send him in the right direction. Sometimes we face storms to correct us that we might turn and go in the right direction.

And then there are the perfecting storms. Those are storms that are designed to teach us and to make us more like Jesus. At the end of this storm the disciples and going to know more about Jesus than they did before the storm. Their faith is going to be strengthened. After Jesus got into the boat we read:

Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:33)

So storms come either to correct us or to perfect us so that we will be more like Jesus.

Jesus not only sent the disciples out onto the lake, he saw them them out on the lake.

SLIDE 9 Second, Jesus sees you there.

We read that while the disciple were out in the middle of the lake straining against the wind and the waves that Jesus saw them. The apostle John tells us that they were about three miles from shore and Mark tells us:

He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. (Mark 6:48)

We should never forget this important truth – Jesus sees us. From his place of prayer three miles away Jesus saw the disciples in the midst of the storm and Jesus sees you in your storm. Whatever storm you are in, whatever circumstance you are in, he see you and he knows.

Matthew says that the boat was “buffeted” by the waves. The word buffeted is the same word used to describe someone questioning you by applying torture. The boat was being beaten – tortured – by the wind and waves. And Jesus saw them straining. And what did he do? He went to them.

SLIDE 10 Third, Jesus comes to you there.

Jesus didn’t leave the disciples out on the water alone, he came out to them. Mark tells us that it was between 3 and 6:00 in the morning. That means they had been out there all night and had not been able to make it to shore. By this time the disciples were probably ready to give up. By this time they probably didn’t have any strength to continue. And Jesus comes to them out in the water.

I want you to think about something for a minute. What was the source of the disciples problems? It was the waves. The waves were buffeting the boat. The water was tormenting not only the boat, but the disciples as well. Jesus came out to the disciples on the very thing that was causing the disciples their trouble. It’s the water that could have taken their very lives and Jesus comes out to them on the water.

Sometimes Jesus will show up on the very object that is causing your problems. God came to Daniel in the lion’s den and shuts their mouths. God came to the three men in the fiery furnace and stood with them. Jesus showed up walking on the water.

What are you most afraid of? It just may be that it is what God wants to use to show up in your life.

I learned something interesting as I prepared for this sermon. SLIDE 11 You’ve probably seen Egyptian hieroglyphics. You’ve probably never seen the hieroglyphic for the word impossible. It’s two feet above a wave. SLIDE 12 This is the picture of impossible – walking on water. Jesus went out to the disciples by doing the impossible – he walked on the water.

A passenger came to the captain of a ship that was in the middle of a large storm and asked, “What will we do if the ship sinks?” The captain replied, “I don’t know about you, but I will be welcomed into the arms of Jesus who loved me and died for me.”

What’s the worst thing that could happen? In the storm it’s the best thing that could happen.

Notice as well the response of the disciples. They didn’t recognize him. Jesus came out to them and they didn’t know who or what it was. I’m wondering if we always recognize Jesus either.

The KJV says the disciples were troubled when they saw Jesus, but I think the NIV more accurately says they were terrified. Troubled is what you might feel after UT loses their first football game to Georgia Tech in three weeks. This was much worse. The disciples were scared witless. So Jesus speaks to them.

Jesus sends you there. He sees you there. He comes to you there.

SLIDE 13 Fourth, Jesus speaks to you there.

Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid. (Matthew 14:27)

Jesus spoke to them. The words of Jesus make all the difference. The words of God are words of comfort and hope.

What was the response of Peter?

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28)

Don’t you think that’s a little strange? Would that have been your reaction? “We’re in danger of drowning so I think I’ll get out of the boat where I know I’ll drown.” What would make a man get out of a boat in the middle of storm and think that he could walk on water. The answer is NOTHING! The only think that could make someone do something they would never ordinarily think of doing is the word of God. Jesus said, “Come.” And Peter obeyed. At that moment he is not standing on water, he is standing on the word of God. If God has said it you can trust him. Believe him and act on that faith.

We like to talk about extraordinary men and women of the Bible. Hebrews 11 tells us about some of the heroes of the faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. The truth is there are no extraordinary men and women, there are only ordinary men and women who have decided to trust an extraordinary God. Peter trusted Jesus, he got out of the boat, and he walked on water – though he didn’t get very far.

We don’t know what went through Peter’s mind just before he started sinking. Maybe he looked down at his feet with the waves washing over them and thought, “I shouldn’t be able to do this.” May he looked back at the boat and thought, “Ha, look at me now guys.” Whatever was going through his thoughts they weren’t about Jesus. He took his mind off of Jesus and he began to sink, but Jesus didn’t take his mind off of Peter. Peter called out to him and Jesus lifted him up. Isn’t it good to know that even when we fail Jesus is still there.

Jesus comes walking out to the disciples in the midst of the storm. Matthew tells us that as soon as he and Peter got into the boat that the wind died down. And John tells us that they were immediately at their destination.

Fifth, Jesus will safely deliver you from there.

Jesus delivers them from the storm he sent them into and then delivers them to their destination. Jesus took them to where he wanted them to go. And he will do the same for us.

How do you handle the storms of life? Sometimes those storms look like we’re on top of ledge looking down and God is asking us to take a step of faith. But when we stand up and see it from God’s point of view it may be that’s it is only a step.

Fears are real. What we are afraid of may or may not be real, but the fear itself is. Fears can be debilitating. It eats at our faith and undermines our convictions. The Bible talks about some of the things we are afraid of. We are afraid of people. We are afraid of tomorrow and the unknown. We are afraid of the unfamiliar. We are afraid of storms. Fear is natural, it’s when we act out of that fear that it is a sin.

We are afraid God will not do what he says he will do

We say things we shouldn't say because we fear God won't stand up for us

We do things we shouldn't do because we're afraid God won't provide for us

God constantly tells his people to “Fear not.” God tells us in Isaiah:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

We are going to have storms. The question is how are we going to react when they come. Will we tremble in fear, or will we trust in God?