# 74 Divine Intervention - Matthew 14:22-36

Introduction: Do you desire for God to be involved in your daily life? I do! I believe that each one of us must remind ourselves that there is nothing too small or too large in our lives that God is not concerned with. Our God is in the details!

Peter reminded us,

casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

A few weeks ago, I spoke about divine appointments, and now we turn our attention to divine intervention. This is what we are going to see here in Matthew 14:22-36. God is going to act on behalf of His disciples and the crowds.

Sonya Downing, a contributing writer for Christianity Today penned the following about Divine intervention. She wrote, “Divine intervention refers to when a divine force directly and purposefully influences events in the world. It is the belief that God can and chooses to intervene in human affairs, either to guide, protect, punish, or alter the course of events in a way that is beyond the natural order of things.”

How can you and I experience Divine intervention? I ask that question, but please be aware that each one of us experiences God’s intervention every day whether we recognize His hand or not. God is always at work around us and in us.

In this sermon, I want to share five basic steps for us to take for us to become more aware of God's active role in our everyday life. We begin with…

I. Be quick to Obey – 14:22

22Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.

Are you and I quick to obey the commands of Jesus Christ? We read here in this verse,

“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat”

There appears to be an urgency in these words. In John 6:15, we see why Jesus commanded His disciples to get into the boat. The 5,000 that were fed with the five loaves and two fish were about to take Jesus by force and make Him their king. So then, Jesus commands His disciples to get into the boat and to go before Him to the other side.

Do you see the word “made” here in this verse? The word carries with it the idea of command, a commanding order. Jesus’ disciples did what Jesus commanded them – they got into the boat and departed.

What was the last command you obeyed? Here is one that all of us present in this building have obeyed today:

Hebrews 10:25 - not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more ass you see the Day approaching.

If you and I want to see God’s intervention in our lives, we must learn obedience. This is good for all of us to hear, and not just children. Do we as Christians obey God as we should? Are you aware that the Bible tells us that even Jesus “learned obedience” in Hebrews 5:8?

Here are some basic commands found in Scripture:

· From our text today - Get into the boat– Matthew 14:22

· Husbands, love your wives – Ephesians 5:25

· Children, obey your parents in the Lord – Ephesians 6:1

· Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another – Ephesians 4:25

· Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another – Romans 12:10

· Therefore, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God – 1 Corinthians 10:31

· Walk in the Spirit – Galatians 5:16

· Do all things without complaining and disputing – Philippians 2:14

· Rejoice in the Lord always – Philippians 4:4

God works His greatest works through OBEDIENCE. Here is what the Bible says,

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8)

Do you and I wish to see God’s involvement in our daily lives? We must learn to obey His Word (Scripture). Not only do we need to learn obedience, but we also need to…

II. Follow Jesus’ example – 14:23

23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

What do we discover here from the life of Jesus Christ? He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. We learn that He spent time communicating with His Father. Jesus talked to God. This is the example that I am saying we need to imitate.

Every believer (follower) needs to learn to pray. Scripture tells us that Jesus’ disciples came to Him and asked,

“Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1)

Do you talk with God? Do you pray regularly? Jesus’ life teaches us the importance of talking with God. All of God’s children need to learn to pray!

A husband recently asked me, “Pastor Kim, how can I learn to pray before I respond to things happening around me?” I suggested that he do two things:

1. Pray before he gets out of bed in the morning. I encouraged him to start his day by talking with God.

2. Pray when you lay your head on your pillow. I encouraged him to pray through the various events of his day and to talk to God about the people he encountered.

He thanked me and we went on our way through the day.

I want to encourage you not to make prayer complicated. Start with some very simple and short prayers. Pray like this:

· God, thank you for this meal.

· Lord, watch over our day.

· Father, help me at work today.

Keep your prayers short, direct, and clear.

Next, we also discover that Jesus was alone. We call this solitude. I mentioned this in the last chapter when we talked about learning to care like Jesus. Each one of us needs alone time to talk with God. Again, I remind us that prayer is essential to one's walk with God.

As I read this verse, I saw three decisions that Jesus made, and I believe that you and I can make these same three decisions. They are:

1. Jesus walked up a mountain – he had a designated place for prayer. Decide where you want to meet with God.

2. Jesus prayed – He talked to His Father. Decide that it is important to communicate with God.

3. Jesus was alone - Solitude allows us to be distraction-free. Decide that you don’t want distractions in your prayer life.

Divine intervention happens when we are quick to obey, and when we follow Jesus’ example of talking with God in prayer. We will also be able to see God’s intervention when we overcome fear.

III. Do not be afraid – 14:24-27

24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

What is the sermon topic today?Divine intervention! What do we discover in the verses I just read? Divine intervention. Here is the point I want to drive home – Jesus is aware of what His disciples were going through. He was aware of what was happening to the disciples here in our text, and I can assure you that Jesus is always aware of what you and I are facing in our lives.

· Jesus is aware of the boat you are in.

· Jesus is aware of the storm you are facing.

· Jesus is aware of the waves and the wind.

· Jesus is never caught off guard.

· Jesus will show up, but it may be on the fourth watch of the night.

The Night Watch

In the Roman world, night watches were divided into four periods, with the final one being between the hours we now call 3 and 6 a.m. This means the disciples have been in the boat, battling a strong wind, for most of the night. They are somewhere in the middle of the Sea of Galilee and likely exhausted. This condition is not their fault, in the sense that they've made some kind of mistake. They're here because Jesus explicitly ordered them to take the boat across the lake at that time (Matthew 14:22).[1]

· Jesus will draw near to His disciples – He walks on the water to them.

John 6:19, tells us that the disciples had already rowed some three to four miles. That distance is not an obstacle for Jesus. Jesu is going to walk out to them on top of the water. Now, don’t forget who it is that we are talking about – Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Creator of all things.

Like the disciples, most of us see life through earthly eyes. And like the disciples, we often explain away the divine. We say things like they said, “It is a ghost!” There is no way a person can walk on water.

I ask you – Is there anything too hard for God?

There are times when people talk about Divine intervention that Christians want to explain it away. We use the word, lucky. Wow, you were so lucky. How fortunate you were. Or they say fate was on your side. Wow, do we allow room for Divine intervention? Divine intervention is found throughout the Bible. Here are a few examples:

1. Issac on the mountain with Abraham – God provided a ram as a sacrifice (Genesis 22).

2. Israel at the Red Sea – God parted the waters, and they crossed over on dry ground (Exodus

3. The three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace – a fourth man showed up and protected them. That fourth man was Jesus Christ (Daniel 3).

4. Daniel in the lion’s den – God shut the mouths of the lions (Daniel 6).

5. Jonah when he was swallowed by a big fish – Jonah 1-4

· Jesus will speak to us and reassure our hearts.

You have got to love what Jesus said to His disciples as He approached them. In verse 27 we read,

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

Hearing God’s Voice

I have already shared with you in previous chapters the many times that God has spoken to me when I was facing some very windy and wavey conditions. His still small voice stilled the storm raging in my heart. He wants to do the same for you.

There is no greater feeling than knowing that Jesus has shown up when you are in a storm. His words were meant to bring comfort – “It is I; do not be afraid.” Comforting words indeed!

Did you know that the literal reading for “It is I” is “I am” (Greek, ego eimi); it is the same as saying “the I AM is here” or “I, Yahweh, am here” (see Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 41:4; 43:10; 52:6)[2]

If you and I want to experience Divine intervention, we must be quick to obey, follow Christ’s example in talking to God in prayer, and overcome our fear. Next, we will need to…

IV. Step out in Faith – 14:28

28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

You have got to love Peter. What a bold disciple of Christ. He saw Jesus, and He asked if he could come out on the water to meet Him. Jesus said to Peter, “Come.” I see that word as permission, or the faith for Peter to respond.

Peter got out of the boat, and he began to walk on the water to go to Jesus. Wow! Peter walked on the water! But not long. In the beginning, Peter was looking to Jesus, but once he was walking on the water, he got his eyes off Jesus, and back unto the storm. Peter saw that the wind was boisterous, and he was afraid.

Fear stops faith – it did for Peter.

When we stop trusting and get our eyes on our surroundings, we usually begin to be afraid of what is happening in our lives. Anxiety sets in. Fear spoils faith. Fear causes our faith to sink.

As Peter was sinking, he cried out,

“Lord, save me!”

I want to drive a point home here. Even in a moment of crisis, Peter knew where to turn to. When we have moments of crisis where we feel like we are sinking in life's storms we too need to remember Jesus is only a prayer away. “Lord, save me” is a three-word prayer. Short and simple, but very direct.

Immediately, Jesus reached out and caught Peter. Jesus responded to Peter's prayer. God will respond to our prayers. We also see that Jesus corrected Peter for his lack of faith and doubt. Get this – when we lose faith it leads to doubt.

Faith is complete trust.

Little faith is partial trust.

Parcel trust leads to doubt.

Doubt brings us down.

Our text tells us that when they (Jesus and Peter) stepped into the boat the wind ceased – all was calm. There is nothing like knowing that Jesus Christ is in your boat. Talk about the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. Jesus Himself will guard our hearts and our minds (see Philippians 4:7).

Finally, our story affects other people. The other disciples in the boat watched everything unfold before their eyes. They saw everything play out between Jesus and Peter. And people are watching our lives, and they see everything. We are told that the disciples came to Him that they worshipped Him, and that they said,

“Truly, You are the Son of God.”

Here is where our life storms and everything we face in this world can be used as a testimony of Jesus’ faithfulness – “I am” shows up time and time again. How you and I respond to life trials will either cause others to worship God, or to believe that God is insufficient.

If you and I want to experience Divine intervention, we must be quick to obey, follow Christ’s example to talk with God in prayer, overcome fear, step out in faith, and finally, we will need to…

V. Believe that God is at work – 14:34-36

34When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

I want to use a play on words for a moment. In verse 34 we have the words, “crossed over” used. I read those words, and I could not help but think about how as we go through various trials in life as we rely on Divine intervention we will eventually cross over – we will get to the other side. When you have been on water for a time, standing on solid ground is comforting.

We are told that when they came to the land of the Gennesaret the men of this place recognized Him. Here is an important truth – the goal of the Christian life is to get people to recognize Jesus Christ.

These people had seen Jesus before, and they knew of His mighty works. This is why at once after seeing Jesus they sent out into the entire region and brought to Jesus all who were sick. These people were seeking a Divine intervention. And get this, Jesus does not disappoint.

These people believed that if they could just touch the hem of His garment they would be made well. Now, this is a picture of great faith.

Can I ask you today how your faith is? Do you believe that God is still into Divine interventions? Do you believe that God shows up in your life?

The last part of verse 37 tells us,

And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

What is that? Divine intervention.

Conclusion: You and I can experience Divine intervention if we are willing to incorporate the five steps I talked about in this message.

1. Be quick to obey God’s commandments.

2. Follow the example of Jesus and talk with God in prayer.

3. Do not be afraid – overcome your fear.

4. Step out in faith.

5. Believe that God is at work.

Let us leave this building with the expectation that we are going to experience a Divine intervention. That God is going to show up in some area of our life today.

[1] https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/14/Matthew-14-25.html [2]Barton, B. B. (1996). Matthew (p. 295). Tyndale House Publishers.