Storm Sinking or Wave Walking
Notes
Transcript
Storm Sinking or Wave Walking
Storm Sinking or Wave Walking
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
What faith!
What Power
What trust Peter had...
How weak
how faithless
How doubting Peter was...
We can look at this event in so many ways - of course in all of them, we should be seeing.
What Power
What Glory
What Grace
What Love
What Care
What Mercy the Lord exhibited...
Ultimately, we need to be looking to the Lord -
it is not about us...
it is not about how much faith we have
it is not about how much we accomplish
it is not about how people view us in our faith (or without our faith)
We will one day stand before the Lord - and the only thing that will matter, is what He thinks...
But in this account - we see the battle of
Faith vs Fear...
Faith vs doubt
Spiritual vs carnal
Eternal vs mortal
Storm Sinking or Wave Walking
Storm Sinking or Wave Walking
Several things that I would like to point out to us all concerning our faith this evening.
Recognize the Unknown is fearful
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
Listen for the Lord to speak
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
Trust the Lord’s Voice
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Follow the Lord’s Promptings
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Trust the Lord’s Love
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
We look at Peter and berate him for his “doubt” - but he was the only one who got out of the ship...
We look at Peter and say - well at least he looked back to the Lord - he knew who could help him… (like Peter’s reaction was relevant to the Lord’s response)
Do we really believe that the Lord is so vindictive, cruel to watch his child sink and perish - waiting only for him to cry out...
If Peter was so overwhelmed by the situation and circumstances of the storm - do we think the Lord would allow him to have perished???