The Watcher on the Hill

Intro:

We have begun a series on how rough waters is used as a symbol in the Bible.

What does Heavy Seas or Floods represent? Chaos, confusuion and catastrophe.

Illustration: Due to the flood, you could not tell which was road and which was river. They decided to risk driving across; the car submerged into the flooded river just as they got out.

Picture of flood

LINK: Flood waters in the Bible usually represent danger and chaos.

“Then the waters would have overwhelmed us,

The stream would have gone over our soul;

Then the swollen waters

Would have gone over our soul.” Ps 124:4-5

Let us come to our main text: Matthew 14:22-27

Matthew 14:22–27 NKJV

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 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. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

Context: How things can change so quickly

Feeding the 5000 (first feeding)

The suffciciency of Jesus on show through the feeding. Having seen this and other miracles, yuo would have thought that their modus operandi from now on would be to listen to the words of the Teacher. No, like the multitudes, the disciples wanted to proclaim him king.

The suffciciency of jesus on show

As a point of interest, they collect the left overs - 12 basketful of bread…so that nothing would be lost. The people had already dispersed - why would tehy need this? Jesus was speaking about lost souls. The 12 baskets - one for each tribe - for everyone??? Furthermore, He was referring to His lessons to them: The bounties of Jesus overflows the cup???

Jesus goes to recharge in prayerful solitude - when we are emptied, we go to the well spring.

Asking them to go Unto the other side. “Unto Bethsaida” (Mark); “unto Capernaum” (John). Probably they landed at the western Bethsaida (ver. 13, note), in Gennesaret (ver. 34), and went on to Capernaum.

Unto the other side. “Unto Bethsaida” (Mark); “unto Capernaum” (John). Probably they landed at the western Bethsaida (ver. 13, note), in Gennesaret (ver. 34), and went on to Capernaum,

Perhaps suggesting, now that you have seen what I can do…let me see if you are ready to obey me and lean not on your own understanding. Bear in mind they would not set out in choppy waters. It must have seemed like plain sailing even though it was beginning to get dark.

Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). St. Matthew (Vol. 2, p. 65). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.; perhaps suggesting, now that you have seen what I can do…let me see if you are ready to obey me. Bear in mind they would not set out in choppy waters. It must have seemed like plain sailing.

How often do we lean on our understanding and not follow the word! Had they listened and gone straightaway.

Are we fair weather friends who profess our love for Jesus when things are great, only to give in to the chaos when the waters become choppy? Note that life is not always plain sailing. Often, when we come to Christ, the enemy works overtime to make us renounce Him: “Curse God and die!”

Chaos and Crisis - The examination of the soul

The instruction was clear - get in a boat, go to the other side. Go, I’ll be with you soon, just after I’m done praying.

Confused, they hesitated and waited. He did not seem to be coming. Had they forgotten the miracle already - if He said he would meet them, then He would meet them aye? He wouldn’t need a boat aye?

How often do we lean on our understanding and not follow the word! Had they listened and gone straightaway.

We better shove off then, soon it will be dark.

Thoughts of his kingship filled their minds. He was perfect - he was charismatic, people flocked to him, he could do miracles.

They were missing the big picture by focussing on their personal preferences.

When we let our desires get the better of God’s plan, we are opening the door to chaos. We give the enemy an entry point to do his worst.

Desire of Ages Chapter 40—A Night on the Lake

They were in the midst of troubled waters. Their thoughts were stormy and unreasonable, and the Lord gave them something else to afflict their souls and occupy their minds. God often does this when men create burdens and troubles for themselves. The disciples had no need to make trouble. Already danger was fast approaching.

Christ in the Chaos - I will look to the hills from whence cometh my salvation

Where was Jesus this whole time? How can He claim to be the Saviour if he is nowhere to be seen?

Jesus had gone up on the hill to pray! What or for whom was He praying?

I’ve suggested that when we are empty of power, we need to go back to the source of power - God. Jesus had gone back to the father to pray for them!

What was His prayer?

He was praying that they would come through the examination of their faith. He was praying that they would overcome their shortsighted temptation and catch a glimpse of the vista before them: the Kingdom at hand.

Notice that even he, the Messaiah had gone back to God to pray. While incarnate, He was not relying on Himself. He had come to testify to God and so he was always humble in seeking the approval of His father while on earth!

His prayer on the hill, was the same as the one in the garden: Father strengthen them; the same as the onoe on the cross: Father forgive them.

Interestingly, the gospel writer descibes the lake as a sea in verses 24 and 25- stylistic effect! A storm at sea seems far worse than a storm on the lake. Mind you, the choppiness on this lake can be scary.

ILLUSTRATION: STORM ON LAKE ROTORUA

ILLUSTRATION: STORM ON LAKE ROTORUA

ILLUSTRATION: STORM ON LAKE ROTORUA

ILLUSTRATION: STORM ON LAKE ROTORUA

But the metaphor is apt - raging water represents chaos, confusion and crisis.

e. But the metaphor is apt - raging water represents chaos, confusion and crisis.

e.But the metaphor is apt - raging water represents chaos, confusion and crisis.

The waves were real though and the situation dire, given it was happening at night and they were probably a kilometre away from shore. Their struggle with the waves was epic…tehy were losing that battle it seemed.

But what was he doing? He was looking at them the whole time! His gaze never left them. They might have taken their eyes off Him, but His eyes were fixed on Him!

Why did He go up on the hill? Not just to pray, from there He could still see them!

Jesus was, is and always will be our only hope to overcome our waters of confusion!

Some 8 hours later, Coming down from the hill, onto the shore - Somewhere between 3-5am, He comes walking on the water! The waves were high and the winds strong but here he was walking on water! Mark adds that He was going to walk past them....why? To say “jokes”. Nah. To see if they knew Him!

What was their response? Still one of doubt and dotishness (an archaic English word still used in my country). It means acting super dumb. They give in to primal fears - it’s a ghost! They’re meant to be Jews who know about soul sleep yet they think it is a ghost.

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

Conclusion

WE know what happens next - Peter is the only one to show a grain of faith, albeit for a short time. But that is for another sermon.

For now, remember that the minute Jesus enters the boat, things clear up... immediately. It reinforces the point that our troubles cannot overcome us, as long as we have Jesus!

ILLUSTRATION: “Christ is the head of the home, the unseen guest of every meal, the silent listener to every conversation.”

The point is clear - Jesus has his eyes on us! Through every storm, through every test, through every temptation, the watcher on the Hill is still there for us!

A similar incident happens later, again on this lake, this time Jesus is already in their boat. Once again they are in unfriendly seas and they are in the presence of thh one who can help! He wakes up and rebukes the waves and winds!

After the crucifixion, when they are scattered and confused again, going through another crisis, they return to their old lives, fishermen on the sea of Galilee, except the sea is still unfriendly, it will not give them food!

Suddenly the Watcher is on a friendly shore, telling them where to cast their nets and having a hot fish fry when they come on shore.

He feeds them as a sign that they must now feed others. The fish they are to catch are the future inhabitants of the kingdom.

The Point: He is always watching, ready to rescue when the need be. From the moutain, to the boat and then on a friendly shore.

What should we do? Keep our gaze on Him and call on Him for help!

And not just when we are in physical danger or in need of physical sustenance!

The lesson is that unfriendly seas represent chaos, confusion and temptation! Jesus is always present in these storms! Especially in the storms that threaten our faith! Just as He is watching us, we need to keep our gaze on Him.

Psalm 121 NKJV

A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 121

Furthermore, the lesson is not to be kept inside, it is to share - Go fish He says!

Don’t look for teh trees and miss the beauty of the ofrest!

Don’t look for the trees and miss the beauty of the ofrest!

also, don’t be fisxed on the gains of this world to the exclusion of the one on the way! Remember, Jesus’ prayers are also for us!

He wants us to be humble in our persoanl desires but also to preach teh Kingdom of God is at hand! For us as Adventists that is a clear and present truth that needs to be shared!

NKJVA Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Intro: Begun a series on how rough waters is used as a symbol in the Bible.

What do Heavy Seas or Floods represent? Chaos, Confusion and Catastrophe.

Illustration: Due to the flood, you could not tell which was road and which was river. They decided to risk driving across; car submerged into the flooded river just as they got out.

What’s been happening Southland?!

LINK: Flood waters in the Bible usually represent chaos and danger.

“Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul; Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.”

Let us come to our main text:

NKJV

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

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. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

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

Context: Change can come so quickly

Prior, to this, the sufficiency of Jesus was on show through the feeding the 5000. Having seen this and other miracles, you would have thought that from then on they would listen to the words of the Teacher.

No, like the multitudes, the disciples wanted to proclaim him king.

As a point of interest, they collect the left overs - 12 basketful of bread…so that nothing would be lost. The people had already dispersed - why would they need this? Jesus was speaking about lost souls.

The 12 baskets - one for each tribe – salvation for everyone???

Furthermore, the bounties of Jesus overflows the cup???

Jesus then goes to recharge in prayerful solitude - when we are emptied, we also need to go to the well spring.

He asked them to go Unto the other side. “Unto Bethsaida” (Mark); “unto Capernaum” (John). Probably they landed at the western Bethsaida (ver. 13, note), in Gennesaret (ver. 34), and went on to Capernaum.

In this, maybe He was suggesting, now that you have seen what I can do…let me see if you are ready to obey me and lean not on your own understanding. I reckon He knew what was about to happen, and was watching to see their response when conditions change!

How often do we lean on our understanding and not follow the word!

Had they gone straightaway, things might have been different?

Are we fair weather friends who profess our love for Jesus when things are great, only to give in to the chaos when the waters become choppy?

Chaos and Crisis - The examination of the soul

The instruction was clear - get in a boat, go to the other side.

Go, I’ll be with you soon, just after I’m done praying.

Confused, they hesitated and waited. He did not seem to be coming.

Had they forgotten the miracle already – surely, if He said he would meet them, then He would meet them, aye? He wouldn’t need a boat aye?

How often do we lean on our understanding and not follow the word!

Had they listened and gone straightaway when there was still light!

Thoughts of His kingship filled their minds.

- He was perfect –

- He was charismatic, people flocked to him.

- He could do miracles.

They were missing the big picture by focussing on their personal preferences, above God’s programme.

Desire of Ages Chapter 40—A Night on the Lake, p380

They were in the midst of troubled waters. Their thoughts were stormy and unreasonable, and the Lord gave them something else to afflict their souls and occupy their minds.

God often does this when men create burdens and troubles for themselves. The disciples had no need to make trouble. Already danger was fast approaching.

When we let our desires get the better of God’s plan, we are opening the door to chaos. We give the enemy an entry point to do his worst.

Christ in the Chaos - I will look to the hills from whence cometh my salvation

Where was Jesus this whole time?

How can He claim to be the Saviour if He is nowhere to be seen?

Jesus had gone up on the hill to pray! What or for whom was He praying?

I’ve suggested that when we are empty of power, we need to go back to the source of power - God.

Jesus had gone back to the father to pray for them!

What was His prayer? He was praying that they would come through the examination of their faith.

He was praying that they would overcome their short-sighted temptation and catch a glimpse of the vista before them: the Kingdom at hand.

Notice that even He, the Messiah had gone back to God to pray.

While incarnate, He was not relying on Himself.

He had come to testify to God and so He was always humble in seeking the approval of His Father while on earth!

His prayer on the hill, was the same as the one in the garden: Father strengthen them; the same as the one on the cross: Father forgive them.

Interestingly, the gospel writer describes the lake as a sea in verses 24 and 25- stylistic effect! A storm at sea seems far worse than a storm on the lake. Mind you, the choppiness on this lake can be scary.

ILLUSTRATION: STORM ON LAKE ROTORUA

But the metaphor is apt - raging water represents chaos, confusion and crisis.

The waves were real though and the situation dire, given it was happening at night and they were probably a kilometre away from shore. Their struggle with the waves was epic…they were losing that battle it seemed.

But what was He doing? He was looking at them the whole time! His gaze never left them. They might have taken their eyes off Him, but His eyes were fixed on Him!

- Why did He go up on the hill? Not just to pray, from there He could still see them!

- Jesus was, is and always will be our only hope to overcome our waters of confusion and chaos!

DA, 381 – As a mother in tender love watches her child, so the compassionate Master watched His disciples. When their hearts were subdued, their unholy ambition quelled, and in humility they prayed for help, it was given them

Some 8 hours later, Coming down from the hill, onto the shore , on the water, somewhere between 3-5am, He comes walking on the water!

The waves were high and the winds strong but here He was walking on water, not in the water! Mark adds that He was going to walk past them....why? To say “jokes”. Nah. To see if they knew Him!

What was their response? Still one of doubt and doltishness (an archaic English word still used in my country). It means acting super dumb. They give in to primal fears - it’s a ghost! They’re meant to be Jews who know about soul sleep yet they think it is a ghost.

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

Conclusion

WE know what happens next - Peter is the only one to show a grain of excellent faith, albeit for a short time. But that is for another sermon.

For now, remember that the minute Jesus enters the boat, things clear up... immediately. It reinforces the point that our troubles cannot overcome us, as long as we have Jesus!

ILLUSTRATION: “Christ is the head of the home, the unseen guest of every meal, the silent listener to every conversation.”

LINK: Used to scare me. Now it comforts.

The point is clear - Jesus has his eyes on us!

Through every test, through every trial, through every temptation, the watcher on the Hill is still there for us!

A similar incident happens later, again on this lake, this time Jesus is already in their boat. Once again they are in unfriendly seas and they are in the presence of the one who can help!

He wakes up and rebukes the waves and winds!

After the crucifixion, when they are scattered and confused again, going through another crisis, they return to their old lives, fishermen on the sea of Galilee, except the sea is still unfriendly, it will not give them food!

Suddenly the Watcher is on a friendly shore, telling them where to cast their nets and having a hot fish fry when they come on shore.

He feeds them as a sign that they must now feed others.

The fish they are to catch are the future inhabitants of the kingdom.

From the Hill, to the Boat, then safe on Shore.

The Point: He is always watching, ready to rescue when the need be.

From the mountain, to the boat and then on a friendly shore.

Jesus is our rescuer, from the storms, from the enemy, from death.

- What should we do? Keep our gaze on Him and call on Him for help!

- And not just when we are in physical danger or in need of physical sustenance! Look to Him in all things!

- The lesson is that unfriendly seas represent chaos, confusion and temptation! Jesus is always present in these storms! Especially in the storms that threaten our faith! Just as He is watching us, we need to keep our gaze on Him.

- Furthermore, the lesson is not to be kept inside, it is to share - Go fish He says!

- Don’t look for the trees and miss the beauty of the forest! Don’t be fixed on the gains of this world to the exclusion of the one on the way! Remember, Jesus’ prayers are also for us!

- He wants us to be humble in our personal desires but also to preach the Kingdom of God is at hand!

- For us as Adventists that is a clear and present truth that needs to be shared!

Palm 121

NKJVA Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.

APPEAL: Let us keep our eyes fixed on the God of the Mountain!