WEBVTT 00:00:01.739 --> 00:00:09.939 If you turn to Matthew's Gospel, go to chapter 00:00:09.939 --> 00:00:29.140 14. And we'll begin this morning at verse 22. 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:39.820 Immediately, Jesus made his disciples get into 00:00:39.820 --> 00:00:42.899 the boat and go before him to the other side 00:00:42.899 --> 00:00:47.380 while he sent the multitudes away. And when he 00:00:47.380 --> 00:00:49.320 had sent the multitudes away, he went up on the 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:52.840 mountain by himself to pray. Now when evening 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:56.539 came, he was alone there. But the boat was now 00:00:56.539 --> 00:01:00.079 in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, 00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:03.880 for the wind was conjuring. Now on the fourth 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:07.680 watch of the night, it's about 3 a .m., Jesus 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:12.280 went to them walking on the sea. And when the 00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:13.879 disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:16.700 troubled, saying, It is a ghost. It's a spirit. 00:01:17.859 --> 00:01:21.879 And they cried out for fear. But immediately 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:26.319 Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer. 00:01:26.980 --> 00:01:31.909 It is I. Do not be afraid. And Peter answered 00:01:31.909 --> 00:01:34.870 him and said, Lord, if it is you, command me 00:01:34.870 --> 00:01:38.049 to come to you on the water. So he said, come. 00:01:38.829 --> 00:01:41.230 And when Peter had come down out of the boat, 00:01:41.390 --> 00:01:47.069 he walked on the water to go to Jesus. When he 00:01:47.069 --> 00:01:50.409 saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid. 00:01:51.489 --> 00:01:55.569 And beginning to sink, he cried out saying, Lord, 00:01:55.709 --> 00:01:59.670 save me. And immediately, the third time that 00:01:59.670 --> 00:02:03.049 word's used, Jesus stretched out his hand and 00:02:03.049 --> 00:02:07.430 caught him. And he said to him, Are you of little 00:02:07.430 --> 00:02:12.189 faith? Why did you doubt? And when they got into 00:02:12.189 --> 00:02:16.530 the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were 00:02:16.530 --> 00:02:21.050 in the boat came and worshipped him, saying, 00:02:21.110 --> 00:02:29.360 Truly, you are the Son of God. Let's pray. Father, 00:02:29.419 --> 00:02:32.580 this is our confession this morning, that Jesus 00:02:32.580 --> 00:02:36.099 Christ is the Son of the living God, and in him 00:02:36.099 --> 00:02:39.400 we place our hope. Lord, my prayer this morning 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:42.520 is that you would make much of your Son. Lord, 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:45.620 I'm reminded that in the day of judgment, I will 00:02:45.620 --> 00:02:48.319 give an account for every idle word that I speak. 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:51.800 Lord, let me not have idle words this morning. 00:02:52.460 --> 00:02:55.400 Would you keep your servant back from speaking 00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:58.939 anything? That would be unproductive, unhelpful, 00:02:58.939 --> 00:03:02.419 untrue. And God, I'm asking, Lord, for the blessing 00:03:02.419 --> 00:03:06.979 of your spirit to bring illumination and insight 00:03:06.979 --> 00:03:11.580 from this holy text. God, lift the veil from 00:03:11.580 --> 00:03:14.580 our eyes and show us Christ, we pray in his name. 00:03:14.979 --> 00:03:20.900 Amen. There are certain moments that simply define 00:03:20.900 --> 00:03:25.129 our lives. One moment everything can be fine, 00:03:25.210 --> 00:03:27.050 and the very next moment it seems the bottom 00:03:27.050 --> 00:03:30.729 has dropped out. A storm comes into our lives 00:03:30.729 --> 00:03:34.610 seemingly out of nowhere, and we're caught off 00:03:34.610 --> 00:03:38.710 guard. We're caught flat -footed. A storm obviously 00:03:38.710 --> 00:03:41.810 is a metaphor, but this storm can take many different 00:03:41.810 --> 00:03:44.710 forms, and some of you know exactly what I'm 00:03:44.710 --> 00:03:48.050 speaking of this morning. It may be the call 00:03:48.050 --> 00:03:50.150 from the doctor's office regarding a test result. 00:03:51.229 --> 00:03:52.949 They need to see you and they need to see you 00:03:52.949 --> 00:03:56.710 quickly. Maybe, for some of you who have had 00:03:56.710 --> 00:03:59.889 this experience, you get a pink slip and you 00:03:59.889 --> 00:04:04.590 are alerted that you no longer have a job. And 00:04:04.590 --> 00:04:06.830 you wonder, what are you going to do? How are 00:04:06.830 --> 00:04:09.710 you going to take care of your family? Perhaps 00:04:09.710 --> 00:04:12.669 it's a marriage crisis that you did not see coming. 00:04:14.650 --> 00:04:18.649 Or the sudden death of a loved one. The storms, 00:04:18.750 --> 00:04:21.259 they may be different. But everyone goes through 00:04:21.259 --> 00:04:23.459 them. This is the thing about life here. We're 00:04:23.459 --> 00:04:26.839 outside of Eden. The Bible says Adam lived east 00:04:26.839 --> 00:04:32.019 of Eden. So today, because we live in this fallen 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:36.120 world, storms are universal. There's not anyone 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:39.759 here, if you've lived long enough, who will not 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:43.660 go through a storm. But they're not meaningless. 00:04:43.860 --> 00:04:47.279 And I think that's the good news. There's a purpose 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:50.300 behind them. See, the storms are actually still 00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:52.839 under the control of God. They're designed by 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:55.420 God and storms reveal things about ourselves 00:04:55.420 --> 00:04:59.439 that we would not otherwise see. Storms are a 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:01.839 diagnostic tool and they're a good diagnostic 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:05.439 tool for they reveal what is in our hearts. I 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:07.279 love this illustration. You've no doubt heard 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:09.819 it many times, but if you're holding a full cup 00:05:09.819 --> 00:05:14.100 and someone bumps into you, their bumping into 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:18.660 you was the occasion to reveal what was in the 00:05:18.660 --> 00:05:22.300 cup. Their bumping into you did not put the contents 00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:27.259 of the cup there, but it revealed what was always 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:30.040 there. And in like man, that's what the storm 00:05:30.040 --> 00:05:32.959 does. The storm doesn't put anything into our 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:36.500 hearts, but when difficulty or trial or suffering 00:05:36.500 --> 00:05:39.939 or affliction comes, it reveals what is in our 00:05:39.939 --> 00:05:44.279 hearts. It serves as a diagnostic. It shows us, 00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:47.680 honestly, where our trust lies. What are you 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:52.120 trusting in? Well, when the storm comes, you're 00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:54.740 going to find out. And it'll come to try our 00:05:54.740 --> 00:05:56.920 faith, and it'll reveal areas that we still need 00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:58.920 to grow. For none of us have arrived. There's 00:05:58.920 --> 00:06:02.199 no one in here who has reached a place of perfection 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:05.980 and has nowhere to go. We can all grow still. 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:09.819 So when the sudden and the unexpected occurs, 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:15.360 then who you are and what you're trusting in 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:18.959 will be revealed. Even the disciples of our Lord 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:21.139 faced storms. Now theirs was not a metaphorical 00:06:21.139 --> 00:06:23.620 storm. It was a literal storm. This still served 00:06:23.620 --> 00:06:25.839 as a very vital diagnostic as we will see this 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:29.079 morning. So what's the context? You have the 00:06:29.079 --> 00:06:32.459 Lord and his disciples, the 12 men. They're on 00:06:32.459 --> 00:06:35.839 the northeast side of Galilee. Now earlier in 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:40.339 the day, the Lord and the 12 men had been trying 00:06:40.339 --> 00:06:42.379 to get away from the crowds and they wanted to 00:06:42.379 --> 00:06:44.959 go to an isolated place where they could simply 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:49.069 eat. a meal in peace and get some rest, relaxation. 00:06:49.850 --> 00:06:52.490 They had been ministering to massive crowds. 00:06:53.089 --> 00:06:56.850 They're tired. They're hungry. So they leave, 00:06:57.089 --> 00:06:59.889 but the crowds that had been ministered to had 00:06:59.889 --> 00:07:02.910 other plans. They followed the Lord and his disciples 00:07:02.910 --> 00:07:07.189 to this remote, isolated place. And the Bible 00:07:07.189 --> 00:07:09.930 says that when Jesus saw the crowds following 00:07:09.930 --> 00:07:15.019 him, he had compassion on them. He wasn't irritated. 00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:17.819 He wasn't upset. So he does what Jesus does. 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:20.860 He began to heal the sick who were brought to 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:23.899 him. And we're also told that he taught the crowds 00:07:23.899 --> 00:07:26.439 all day, although he was already tired and hungry, 00:07:26.579 --> 00:07:29.860 until evening came. But now it's starting to 00:07:29.860 --> 00:07:32.860 get dark. The crowds are still present. They 00:07:32.860 --> 00:07:35.920 are now hungry. They're in an isolated place. 00:07:36.060 --> 00:07:38.139 There's no nearby village where they could go 00:07:38.139 --> 00:07:41.069 and buy food. The journey was... probably four 00:07:41.069 --> 00:07:43.810 miles by foot. It's too far to send them away 00:07:43.810 --> 00:07:45.610 because night's going to fall. You don't want 00:07:45.610 --> 00:07:48.470 to send them away empty -handed. So what's going 00:07:48.470 --> 00:07:52.149 to happen? So the Lord did what only the Lord 00:07:52.149 --> 00:07:54.990 could do. He takes the two pieces of fish and 00:07:54.990 --> 00:07:57.589 five loaves of bread, and he gives thanks to 00:07:57.589 --> 00:07:59.569 his Father in heaven, and he begins to multiply 00:07:59.569 --> 00:08:03.769 fish and bread so much so that he fed around 00:08:03.769 --> 00:08:07.000 15 ,000 to 20 ,000 people. Now we call it the 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:09.540 feeding of the 5 ,000, but Matthew is very specific. 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:13.000 He says 5 ,000 men apart from women and children. 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:16.000 So conservatively, 15 ,000 to 20 ,000 people. 00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:18.759 But there's something we're told in the Gospel 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:21.680 of John that Matthew doesn't record. In John 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:25.060 chapter 6, after that miracle and the crowds 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:27.879 were fed, it says that they, upon seeing the 00:08:27.879 --> 00:08:32.120 miracle, they began to try to come and take Jesus 00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:36.240 by force to make him king. They were whipped 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:38.799 up into this messianic frenzy. They knew this 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:41.159 must be the king of Israel. They get all excited. 00:08:41.379 --> 00:08:44.080 There's 15 ,000 of them at least. They're all 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:46.200 in this frenzy, and it's going to be really, 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:49.039 really bad. A riot could ensue. And so now what 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:51.139 do we need to do? You've got to calm them down. 00:08:51.419 --> 00:08:53.519 You've got to settle the crowds down. So the 00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:56.799 Lord quickly dismissed his disciples. He tells 00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:59.059 them, get into the boat, go to the other side 00:08:59.059 --> 00:09:01.519 of the sea, and I will meet you later. And he 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:04.409 stays behind. So what's he going to do? He's 00:09:04.409 --> 00:09:06.769 going to disperse the crowds. Look at verse 22. 00:09:07.830 --> 00:09:10.450 Immediately, Jesus made his disciples get into 00:09:10.450 --> 00:09:15.129 the boat, go before him to the other side, while 00:09:15.129 --> 00:09:17.870 he sent the multitude away. So the disciples 00:09:17.870 --> 00:09:21.649 leave. Now, we don't know. Some say, well, maybe 00:09:21.649 --> 00:09:23.450 they were getting caught up in the frenzy. We 00:09:23.450 --> 00:09:25.850 don't know. All we know is Jesus told them, get 00:09:25.850 --> 00:09:28.149 in the boat and go. We don't know who all was 00:09:28.149 --> 00:09:30.149 in the boat. Were there other mariners or sailors 00:09:30.149 --> 00:09:33.330 on board? We don't know. We're not told. But 00:09:33.330 --> 00:09:34.990 they got into a boat and they were to leave. 00:09:35.549 --> 00:09:38.789 And what does Jesus do? He's left behind in this 00:09:38.789 --> 00:09:42.570 remote place. So he dismisses the crowds. They 00:09:42.570 --> 00:09:45.909 obey his voice. And then he did what his custom 00:09:45.909 --> 00:09:48.549 was. Jesus began to do what he had always done. 00:09:48.590 --> 00:09:51.250 He prayed. Look at verse 23. And when he had 00:09:51.250 --> 00:09:54.470 sent the multitudes away, he went up on the mountain 00:09:54.470 --> 00:10:00.149 by himself to pray. Now when evening came, he 00:10:00.149 --> 00:10:04.750 was alone there. The Lord needed time with communion 00:10:04.750 --> 00:10:08.730 by himself with his heavenly father. He goes 00:10:08.730 --> 00:10:10.750 up on the mountain and just spends some time 00:10:10.750 --> 00:10:14.529 in prayer. So instructive for us. Now, it says 00:10:14.529 --> 00:10:16.769 he remains in prayer from evening, and we know 00:10:16.769 --> 00:10:19.269 he prays, and later on you're going to see this, 00:10:19.350 --> 00:10:22.029 until the fourth watch of the night. That's 3 00:10:22.029 --> 00:10:25.750 a .m. So he's praying quite a long time. But 00:10:25.750 --> 00:10:27.909 now, I want you to notice this dichotomy. Notice 00:10:27.909 --> 00:10:32.740 the picture here. The Lord is alone. on a mountainside 00:10:32.740 --> 00:10:36.700 praying, how were the disciples faring at that 00:10:36.700 --> 00:10:42.940 same time? Verse 24. But the boat was now in 00:10:42.940 --> 00:10:47.480 the middle of the sea, tossed by waves, for the 00:10:47.480 --> 00:10:49.259 wind was contrary. You got the striking contrast. 00:10:49.740 --> 00:10:52.720 Jesus is in a mountain serenely praying. His 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.480 disciples are in a boat fighting the wind and 00:10:55.480 --> 00:10:58.220 possibly being sunk. Now since they're in the 00:10:58.220 --> 00:10:59.840 middle of the sea, this is the Sea of Galilee. 00:11:00.669 --> 00:11:01.970 Some of you have been there. I've been there 00:11:01.970 --> 00:11:05.029 back in 2011, I believe. The Sea of Galilee is 00:11:05.029 --> 00:11:07.169 actually not a sea. It's a lake. It's a big, 00:11:07.190 --> 00:11:09.389 big lake. If you look in the scriptures, it's 00:11:09.389 --> 00:11:10.950 known by three titles. You've got the Sea of 00:11:10.950 --> 00:11:13.870 Galilee, Lake Gennesaret. It's also known as 00:11:13.870 --> 00:11:17.210 the Sea of Tiberias. But it's a big lake. And 00:11:17.210 --> 00:11:19.730 although it is a lake, storms can be very violent 00:11:19.730 --> 00:11:22.909 there because of geography. So the sea itself, 00:11:23.090 --> 00:11:27.529 the Sea of Galilee, sits 680 feet below sea level. 00:11:28.090 --> 00:11:31.139 Because it sits so low, you have this warm, tropical, 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:34.059 humid air that kind of just hovers over the water 00:11:34.059 --> 00:11:36.200 at that point. But if you've been there, you 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:38.379 know that the lake is surrounded by high hills 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:41.159 and mountains all around it. In fact, just to 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:43.879 the east, you got the Golan Heights. The Golan 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:47.320 Heights go to about 2 ,000 feet. So think about 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:49.679 the difference. You have 680 feet below sea level. 00:11:49.779 --> 00:11:51.720 You got the Golan Heights to the east about 2 00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:55.169 ,000 feet high. So you have this heavy... cool, 00:11:55.169 --> 00:11:57.929 dense air from the mountains. It'll swiftly drop 00:11:57.929 --> 00:12:00.370 down into the ravines. It collides with that 00:12:00.370 --> 00:12:02.929 warm tropical air that's hovering over the Sea 00:12:02.929 --> 00:12:05.529 of Galilee. What happens when you have very cold 00:12:05.529 --> 00:12:08.269 air and very warm air colliding? Violent storms. 00:12:08.809 --> 00:12:12.049 So you get these furious storms and furious winds 00:12:12.049 --> 00:12:15.149 with little to no warning. These can come out 00:12:15.149 --> 00:12:18.009 of nowhere. Now we have to remember, this boat, 00:12:18.110 --> 00:12:20.590 they're in the middle of the sea, right? At least 00:12:20.590 --> 00:12:23.919 four of the twelve disciples were experienced 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:27.019 fishermen. So that means these sudden violent 00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:29.500 storms would not have been anything new to them. 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:32.659 I don't think they're panicking right now. They 00:12:32.659 --> 00:12:35.159 certainly would have had experience in this type 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:37.000 of situation because that's how they make their 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:40.200 living. They lived on this big sea. But this 00:12:40.200 --> 00:12:43.320 storm must have been particularly difficult for 00:12:43.320 --> 00:12:45.860 even they were having trouble. It tells us they're 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:47.360 in the middle of the sea. Now listen, they've 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:48.860 been there for quite some time and we'll see 00:12:48.860 --> 00:12:51.379 that in just a moment. So you've got the disciples. 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:53.379 They're in a boat. You've got a strong headwind. 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:56.820 You've got a rising sea. Not a good combination. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:00.340 Matthew tells us, and I like the words here, 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:03.539 that the boat was being tossed by the waves. 00:13:03.820 --> 00:13:05.679 Now listen, I've had boats before. The one thing 00:13:05.679 --> 00:13:08.460 you don't want is a boat being tossed in the 00:13:08.460 --> 00:13:11.200 middle of water. We've had boats with holes. 00:13:11.299 --> 00:13:13.580 I've had boats with accidents. Don't take me 00:13:13.580 --> 00:13:15.460 on a boat, I guess would be the lesson this morning. 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:17.720 But anyways, they're in the middle of the sea. 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:19.850 What's that tell you? They're far from land. 00:13:20.309 --> 00:13:23.309 They've got a long way to go. Mark tells us in 00:13:23.309 --> 00:13:26.710 chapter 6, verse 48, they were straining at rowing. 00:13:27.710 --> 00:13:30.470 They're making no progress whatsoever because 00:13:30.470 --> 00:13:33.389 the wind is against them. So you've got the disciples. 00:13:33.590 --> 00:13:35.769 They're there in this bad storm. They're making 00:13:35.769 --> 00:13:38.309 no progress at all. They've been at it for hours. 00:13:38.529 --> 00:13:42.289 So now what's that tell you? They're tired. They've 00:13:42.289 --> 00:13:46.490 already had a long day. They're exhausted. Mark's 00:13:46.490 --> 00:13:48.950 gospel also tells us something very instructive. 00:13:49.370 --> 00:13:53.690 He tells us that Jesus, now where is Jesus? On 00:13:53.690 --> 00:13:56.970 the mountain. Saw them, and I quote, saw them 00:13:56.970 --> 00:14:00.950 straining at rowing. Jesus sees what's going 00:14:00.950 --> 00:14:03.889 on in the life of his disciples. Apparently, 00:14:03.909 --> 00:14:08.090 this is why he stopped praying when he did, and 00:14:08.090 --> 00:14:10.509 he decided as a savior, I'm going to go help 00:14:10.509 --> 00:14:16.139 these guys. Look at verse 25. watch of the night, 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:21.159 Jesus went to them. He always goes. Walking on 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:24.519 the sea. Romans divided the night into four watches. 00:14:24.659 --> 00:14:26.960 They didn't have clocks like we did. So the fourth 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:29.279 watch will be somewhere between 3 and 6 a .m. 00:14:29.299 --> 00:14:32.399 This is the final watch before sun rises. So 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:34.860 it's at least 3 a .m. Could be a little later. 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:38.179 So do the math. If the disciples left at evening 00:14:38.179 --> 00:14:40.639 and it's now in the final watch of the night, 00:14:41.019 --> 00:14:43.259 That tells you they've been in this storm or 00:14:43.259 --> 00:14:45.559 on this boat fighting for about eight to nine 00:14:45.559 --> 00:14:48.860 hours now, provided, we don't know, that the 00:14:48.860 --> 00:14:52.440 storm began right or soon after they left. We 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:54.519 don't know that. But we don't know they're in 00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:57.059 the middle of the sea at 3 a .m. making no progress. 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:01.139 So again, there's a striking contrast here. The 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:05.000 disciples are being overwhelmed by the waves. 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:12.649 Jesus, peacefully, is walking on them. The disciples 00:15:12.649 --> 00:15:16.929 were overwhelmed. Jesus is walking on them. The 00:15:16.929 --> 00:15:20.470 very storm that is threatening to kill and take 00:15:20.470 --> 00:15:23.149 the life of these disciples has no effect on 00:15:23.149 --> 00:15:28.889 Jesus Christ whatsoever. Who is this man? Who 00:15:28.889 --> 00:15:34.029 is Jesus? In Job chapter 9, we read this. God 00:15:34.029 --> 00:15:41.379 alone spreads out the heaven. And he treads on 00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:44.340 the waves of the seas. Isn't that beautiful? 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:50.700 Job says only God can walk on water. Let that 00:15:50.700 --> 00:15:53.679 sit with you for a moment. Chris Miller in his 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:56.480 commentary says, the one who created the seas 00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:03.360 can easily make them his carpet. Verse 26. And 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:06.259 when the disciples saw him, that is Jesus, walking 00:16:06.259 --> 00:16:09.659 on the sea, They were troubled. Yeah, no kidding. 00:16:09.899 --> 00:16:14.320 They're troubled. Saying, it's a ghost. And they 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:16.399 cried out for fear. Now keep in mind, there's 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:22.019 a storm. The disciples see a figure. And it seems 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:24.779 to be coming toward their boat. They don't assume 00:16:24.779 --> 00:16:29.419 this is Jesus. Nor would we. So they're thinking, 00:16:29.460 --> 00:16:32.279 what? This is a spirit. This is a ghost. They're 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:35.000 exhausted. They've been rowing all night long. 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:37.919 There's this terrible storm causing very poor 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:41.379 visibility. And now they see a shadow -like figure 00:16:41.379 --> 00:16:45.139 coming, but it's not swimming. He's walking on 00:16:45.139 --> 00:16:48.220 top of the water. What else are they going to 00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:50.919 think? Who could this be? It can't be Jesus because 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:54.700 men don't walk on water. Well, it must be a spirit. 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:57.480 Now, the Bible affirms the reality of spiritual 00:16:57.480 --> 00:16:59.559 beings. You have angels, we have demons, but 00:16:59.559 --> 00:17:03.120 not ghosts. Not ghosts. Nevertheless, at this 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:05.299 time in history, belief in ghosts is pretty common. 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:09.759 There was also a belief that ghosts showed up 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:13.559 as messengers of impending death. Kind of like 00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:17.579 we might say the grim reaper. So now, you also 00:17:17.579 --> 00:17:21.079 have an ancient Jewish thought that the sea itself 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:24.740 was a symbol of danger and disorder. Because 00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:26.539 in the beginning, remember when the spirit hovered 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:29.299 over the sea and there was no order? There was 00:17:29.299 --> 00:17:32.119 just chaos there at the beginning. So now either 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:33.700 way, we don't know, but here's what we do know. 00:17:33.740 --> 00:17:37.359 The disciples are now terrified. I believe they 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:39.299 think they're going to die because they see this 00:17:39.299 --> 00:17:41.799 ghost or spirit coming toward them. He must be 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:44.940 like a messenger of impending death. Either way, 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:46.440 we don't know what was going through their minds 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:48.799 except this. They were afraid and they screamed 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:51.339 out in fear. And let's not judge them because 00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:52.880 all of us would have done the very same thing. 00:17:53.380 --> 00:17:59.960 It's terrifying. They're afraid. Verse 27. Immediately, 00:18:00.699 --> 00:18:03.079 You keep saying that word, right? But immediately 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:06.680 Jesus spoke to them. And he says, be of good 00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:08.880 cheer. Now, it's not like the British cheerio. 00:18:09.059 --> 00:18:10.539 I don't think that's what he's saying there at 00:18:10.539 --> 00:18:15.500 all. He's simply saying, take courage. It is 00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:19.740 I. Don't be afraid. That be of good cheer. We've 00:18:19.740 --> 00:18:21.700 seen it before. Be of good cheer for I have overcome 00:18:21.700 --> 00:18:24.660 the world. Take courage. Take heart. Man up, 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:30.299 guys. Don't be afraid here. Now, I think it's 00:18:30.299 --> 00:18:32.980 almost, now this is not meant to be a funny passage, 00:18:33.019 --> 00:18:35.259 but it's almost comical here. He tells them, 00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:37.079 hey, have courage and don't be afraid. And I'm 00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:40.140 thinking, why? They're in the midst of a storm, 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:43.740 in the middle of the night. They've been rowing 00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:47.940 for hours. They are absolutely dog tired. They 00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:50.799 thought a ghost was coming toward them to tell 00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:54.180 them and to announce their death. Why would you 00:18:54.180 --> 00:19:00.910 not be afraid? Because it is I. Ego, I'm me, 00:19:01.089 --> 00:19:06.849 in Greek. I am. You see the ego, that ego, in 00:19:06.849 --> 00:19:12.329 Greek. I'm me. I am. Now that's a natural way 00:19:12.329 --> 00:19:14.869 of saying it is I. It is, in all fairness, we 00:19:14.869 --> 00:19:17.490 want to clarify that. But it has a dual meaning 00:19:17.490 --> 00:19:21.029 here. Because in the Old Testament, when Yahweh 00:19:21.029 --> 00:19:24.630 was revealing himself to Israel, his covenant 00:19:24.630 --> 00:19:28.900 name, I am that I am. Now that's Hebrew. But 00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:31.680 when it's translated into Greek, I am that I 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:37.660 am, it's translated, ego, I, me. Exactly what 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:41.400 Jesus is saying here. It's a dual purpose. Who 00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:45.000 is this man walking to them on water? It's Jesus. 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:49.480 It is I. But it's also the one who revealed himself 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:53.140 to Israel as the great I am. The one walking 00:19:53.140 --> 00:19:56.140 to them, friends. This is God. This is God in 00:19:56.140 --> 00:19:59.180 the flesh. Now, I don't think at that moment 00:19:59.180 --> 00:20:01.640 the disciples understood what Jesus was saying. 00:20:02.900 --> 00:20:05.680 But this would prove very meaningful after Jesus 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:07.779 rose again from the dead and they could look 00:20:07.779 --> 00:20:15.420 back and remember, ah, egoi me, I am. But I want 00:20:15.420 --> 00:20:17.099 you to notice something. The presence of Jesus, 00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:20.660 it brings peace. This is why you can stop fearing. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:22.380 This is why you don't have to be afraid. Why? 00:20:22.420 --> 00:20:28.240 Because Jesus is with you. Fear. flees when Jesus 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:30.359 shows up. There may be chaos in our lives, and 00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:32.359 I guarantee you at some point, there will be 00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:35.700 chaos in our lives, but Jesus stands above the 00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:44.480 chaos. Verse 28. Peter. God love him. Peter said, 00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:47.319 well, Lord, if it's you, command me to come to 00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:50.460 you on the water. Now, if it is you, this is 00:20:50.460 --> 00:20:53.000 not Peter wondering or still doubting as though 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:54.680 it might be a ghost. Because what if it were 00:20:54.680 --> 00:20:56.859 a ghost and said, yeah, come, now drown. That's 00:20:56.859 --> 00:20:59.319 not what Peter's doing at all here. The idea 00:20:59.319 --> 00:21:01.859 is, Lord, since it is you, and he knows it is, 00:21:01.980 --> 00:21:06.140 let me walk on the water too. He's convinced. 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:08.599 He knows that it's Jesus coming toward them. 00:21:08.759 --> 00:21:11.500 Now, why would Peter think he would be empowered 00:21:11.500 --> 00:21:15.519 to walk on water too? Because already in this 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:18.390 time in history, already by this point, the disciples 00:21:18.390 --> 00:21:21.869 had been empowered by Jesus with the ability 00:21:21.869 --> 00:21:24.390 to do many of the same miracles that Jesus did. 00:21:24.650 --> 00:21:28.309 In Matthew chapter 10, verse 1. And when Jesus 00:21:28.309 --> 00:21:31.009 called the 12 disciples to them, he gave them 00:21:31.009 --> 00:21:34.170 power over unclean spirits to cast them out and 00:21:34.170 --> 00:21:36.269 to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of 00:21:36.269 --> 00:21:39.089 disease. What had Jesus been doing? Casting out 00:21:39.089 --> 00:21:41.950 demons, healing the sick. What did he empower 00:21:41.950 --> 00:21:44.710 his disciples to do? Cast out demons, heal the 00:21:44.710 --> 00:21:48.660 sick. Now, What's Jesus doing? Walking on water. 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:51.720 What's Peter asking to do? Let me walk on water. 00:21:51.920 --> 00:21:54.019 It would have been very natural for Peter to 00:21:54.019 --> 00:21:56.480 assume that Jesus could allow him that ability. 00:21:56.900 --> 00:22:00.839 And he did. Jesus gave him permission. And to 00:22:00.839 --> 00:22:02.400 Peter's credit, he does get out of the boat, 00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:04.940 and he begins walking on the water toward Jesus, 00:22:05.059 --> 00:22:09.059 verse 30. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, 00:22:09.140 --> 00:22:12.819 he was afraid. You know, it's natural. And beginning 00:22:12.819 --> 00:22:15.859 to sink, he cried out, saying, The Lord saved 00:22:15.859 --> 00:22:21.420 me. And immediately, third time, Jesus stretched 00:22:21.420 --> 00:22:24.440 out his hand and caught him. And he said to him, 00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:27.920 O you of little faith, why did you doubt? Peter, 00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:31.539 do you still not understand? We're not told how 00:22:31.539 --> 00:22:34.140 far Peter walked. All we know is he got out of 00:22:34.140 --> 00:22:35.640 the boat and he began to walk. But somewhere 00:22:35.640 --> 00:22:37.559 during that time, he got afraid. He got scared. 00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:41.000 Why? The winds were fierce. The storm was still 00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:44.599 raging. Boisterous winds. Peter could feel the 00:22:44.599 --> 00:22:48.319 spray of the water on his skin. And he panics. 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:52.900 And when he panicked, he started to sink. Sink 00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:55.900 means waves are starting to go over him. And 00:22:55.900 --> 00:23:01.220 he cries out to Jesus. Lord, save me. It's a 00:23:01.220 --> 00:23:05.240 beautiful prayer, folks. It's not theologically 00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:14.099 rich or deep, but powerful. Lord, save me. Peter 00:23:14.099 --> 00:23:16.980 knew something. He knew he was helpless. He knew 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:18.599 there was nothing he could do to save himself. 00:23:19.880 --> 00:23:23.240 So he cries out to Jesus. And this is the place 00:23:23.240 --> 00:23:25.180 that every single person in here must come to. 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:29.680 You must recognize that on your own you are helpless. 00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:33.019 You are drowning. You are dead is what Paul tells 00:23:33.019 --> 00:23:38.480 us. And you turn to Christ in faith. This is 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:41.259 a desperate cry from a desperate helpless man. 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:44.049 And can I tell you something? Desperate cries 00:23:44.049 --> 00:23:46.490 from desperate men captures God's attention. 00:23:48.309 --> 00:23:50.329 So Peter knew something. He knew Jesus could 00:23:50.329 --> 00:23:52.390 do for him what he could never do for himself, 00:23:52.549 --> 00:23:55.369 which is what? Save himself. Get out of that 00:23:55.369 --> 00:23:58.309 water. And Jesus reaches out his hand and he 00:23:58.309 --> 00:24:01.869 rescues Peter. Now I think that grip, I don't 00:24:01.869 --> 00:24:03.430 know, I'm reading in the text, but I imagine 00:24:03.430 --> 00:24:06.869 that grip of Jesus' hand on Peter's arm must 00:24:06.869 --> 00:24:11.109 have been so very reassuring. As Peter failed, 00:24:11.309 --> 00:24:15.910 and he did, Jesus was there for him. The storm's 00:24:15.910 --> 00:24:19.250 revealing something. It revealed something about 00:24:19.250 --> 00:24:20.950 Peter, and it also revealed something about Jesus. 00:24:21.809 --> 00:24:24.990 Let's take Peter first. He was a man of little 00:24:24.990 --> 00:24:28.690 faith. What's that mean? There was still much 00:24:28.690 --> 00:24:32.089 room for this bold man to grow and mature. Because 00:24:32.089 --> 00:24:36.069 he was of little faith, he began to doubt. He 00:24:36.069 --> 00:24:37.789 knew that Jesus was able. That's why he stepped 00:24:37.789 --> 00:24:42.519 out of the boat. Of course he was able. point 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:44.440 of view changed when he got out of the boat, 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:47.140 when he actually got in the water. Because when 00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:49.720 he got out of the boat, man, he's now outside 00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:52.559 the boat in a storm with boisterous winds and 00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:54.619 swelling waves, and suddenly what seemed like 00:24:54.619 --> 00:24:57.720 a good idea now seems like a bad idea. This is 00:24:57.720 --> 00:25:01.160 a terrible idea. His faith was strong while in 00:25:01.160 --> 00:25:03.460 the boat, and everything changed when he actually 00:25:03.460 --> 00:25:07.160 walked on the water, when he got into the storm 00:25:07.160 --> 00:25:10.900 himself. So Peter had faith, but his faith was 00:25:10.900 --> 00:25:14.000 not mature. How do you know that? The raging 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:17.619 winds and waves revealed that. But friends, this 00:25:17.619 --> 00:25:19.240 is what I think about us. This is what I know 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:23.140 about myself. We are like Peter. We perceive 00:25:23.140 --> 00:25:26.839 ourselves as men and women of faith, strong faith 00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:29.720 even, until the storm comes in our life and it 00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:33.339 reveals something. How weak we really are and 00:25:33.339 --> 00:25:37.700 how much we have to grow. Sandy and I going through 00:25:37.700 --> 00:25:40.440 what we did a few years ago right after her heart 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:43.740 attack and things. It's exactly what I thought 00:25:43.740 --> 00:25:45.579 about myself. I remember praying, Lord, I'm so 00:25:45.579 --> 00:25:50.259 weak in faith. So weak. Because in the storm, 00:25:50.339 --> 00:25:55.000 our confidence in Jesus often wanes. And our 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:59.200 hearts begin to panic. Fear, anxiety starts to 00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:03.119 set in. It reveals something. But what did the 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:06.420 storm reveal about Jesus? Now often, when I have 00:26:06.420 --> 00:26:07.920 heard this text preached, and I've heard this 00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:10.059 text preached many times, the focus has always 00:26:10.059 --> 00:26:13.240 been on Peter. We hear about Peter's faith, or 00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:14.839 we hear about Peter's willingness to get out 00:26:14.839 --> 00:26:17.079 of the boat, or Peter taking his eyes off Jesus. 00:26:17.359 --> 00:26:19.119 And by the way, all those are good sermons. They're 00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:20.859 all appropriate sermons, but I think they're 00:26:20.859 --> 00:26:23.819 misplaced sermons. The point of this text is 00:26:23.819 --> 00:26:26.559 not about Peter, folks. It's not about Peter. 00:26:26.619 --> 00:26:29.359 It's about Jesus. In fact, Matthew is the only 00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:32.140 gospel. Mark, Luke, and John, none of them ever 00:26:32.140 --> 00:26:34.839 mention that Peter walked on water. They don't 00:26:34.839 --> 00:26:37.180 even mention Peter. They all mention Jesus walked 00:26:37.180 --> 00:26:41.779 on water. Why? Where's the focus? The one who 00:26:41.779 --> 00:26:44.779 can walk on the water. So we want to see who, 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:47.839 this is what Matthew is pointing toward as well 00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:50.519 as Mark, Luke, and John. All four gospels want 00:26:50.519 --> 00:26:52.660 you to see who Jesus really is. Well, who is 00:26:52.660 --> 00:26:54.859 he? He's the one who can walk on water. He is 00:26:54.859 --> 00:26:58.920 Yahweh in the flesh. He is God incarnate. Remember 00:26:58.920 --> 00:27:02.900 Job 9? God spreads out the heavens and treads 00:27:02.900 --> 00:27:06.259 on the waves of the seas. Matthew, and this is 00:27:06.259 --> 00:27:07.940 what I love about how Matthew does his gospel. 00:27:08.940 --> 00:27:12.099 He eventually tells us directly who Jesus is, 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:15.579 but first he paints a beautiful picture. In Matthew 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:17.900 28, the very last chapter of Matthew's gospel, 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:21.039 the very last verses of Matthew's gospel, Jesus 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:24.240 comes after the resurrection, and he says, All 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:27.440 power, and it's the word exousia in Greek, all 00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:30.599 authority in heaven and earth has been given 00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:33.400 to me. And then he gives his disciples a charge. 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:38.160 All authority in heaven and on earth. Jesus. 00:27:40.019 --> 00:27:43.000 Now, Matthew doesn't tell that until the end. 00:27:43.819 --> 00:27:45.880 But think about all we've seen up until this 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:48.720 point. Jesus has authority over sickness and 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:54.299 disease. By his word, illness is removed. He 00:27:54.299 --> 00:28:01.359 has authority over death. By his word, the dead 00:28:01.359 --> 00:28:04.660 come back to life. He has authority over demons, 00:28:04.819 --> 00:28:08.299 demonic spirits. By His Word, demons are expelled 00:28:08.299 --> 00:28:11.240 and they must obey Him. They don't have a choice. 00:28:11.920 --> 00:28:15.940 He has authority over nature. By His Word, wind 00:28:15.940 --> 00:28:20.240 and waves are calmed. He has authority over nature. 00:28:20.440 --> 00:28:23.720 By His Word, He can multiply two fish and five 00:28:23.720 --> 00:28:27.019 bread and feed 15 ,000 people. He has authority 00:28:27.019 --> 00:28:32.859 to forgive sin. By His Word. Sin is forgiven. 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:38.380 Who is he? This is what Matthew wants his Jewish 00:28:38.380 --> 00:28:42.000 readers to know. This is Yahweh in the flesh. 00:28:42.680 --> 00:28:47.319 This is no ordinary man. This is God. And we 00:28:47.319 --> 00:28:51.299 must trust in him. This man, the one that's walking 00:28:51.299 --> 00:28:54.119 on the waters, this is the gift sent from heaven 00:28:54.119 --> 00:28:57.740 so that the world might be saved. This is the 00:28:57.740 --> 00:28:59.839 Messiah. This is the Christ. This is the son 00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:03.730 of the living God. And look at verse 32. And 00:29:03.730 --> 00:29:06.769 when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 00:29:07.710 --> 00:29:09.789 So the Lord grabs Peter, they get in the boat, 00:29:09.849 --> 00:29:13.950 and immediately the wind dies down. Storm's over. 00:29:14.730 --> 00:29:18.009 Jesus is in the boat. Something went on here, 00:29:18.029 --> 00:29:22.630 right? First of all, the safest place to be is 00:29:22.630 --> 00:29:26.200 with Jesus. Whether that be out of the boat on 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:28.599 a raging sea or whether it be in the boat with 00:29:28.599 --> 00:29:31.140 a raging sea, wherever Jesus is, there's the 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:36.519 place of safety. But we also need to see this 00:29:36.519 --> 00:29:39.839 again. It's not about Peter. It's about Jesus, 00:29:39.940 --> 00:29:45.779 the strong one who can always rescue. Pastor 00:29:45.779 --> 00:29:48.099 Kyle read it before our final psalm, Psalm 46, 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:54.440 1 and 2. I preached it last week. is our refuge. 00:29:56.180 --> 00:30:01.720 God is our strength. A very present, immediate 00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:11.400 help in trouble. Therefore, we won't fear. Immediately 00:30:11.400 --> 00:30:17.339 when Peter needed him, Jesus was there. He's 00:30:17.339 --> 00:30:20.579 the ever -present help in trouble. When the disciples 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:24.109 thought they were seeing a ghost, Jesus told 00:30:24.109 --> 00:30:30.809 them, don't fear. Why? I am there. In Psalm 46, 00:30:30.970 --> 00:30:35.809 we are told not to fear. Why? God is there. In 00:30:35.809 --> 00:30:38.289 Job 9, we're told that God alone can walk on 00:30:38.289 --> 00:30:42.069 the water. In Matthew 14, we see Jesus walking 00:30:42.069 --> 00:30:47.109 on the water. Friends, what's the message? Let's 00:30:47.109 --> 00:30:49.769 not miss the forest because of the trees. What 00:30:49.769 --> 00:30:51.750 is the message that Matthew wants us to get? 00:30:53.909 --> 00:31:02.329 That man Jesus is God. Jesus is God. And what's 00:31:02.329 --> 00:31:04.509 the only appropriate response? Look at verse 00:31:04.509 --> 00:31:08.890 33. Then those who were in the boat that came 00:31:08.890 --> 00:31:10.829 and worshipped him. Again, there may have been 00:31:10.829 --> 00:31:12.630 other sailors. Some commentators think there 00:31:12.630 --> 00:31:14.329 were other sailors in the boat. I don't know. 00:31:14.410 --> 00:31:18.430 Maybe. But we do know the 12 men were. And they 00:31:18.430 --> 00:31:23.450 said, truly, you are the son of God. See, once 00:31:23.450 --> 00:31:25.349 you see, once you understand who Jesus truly 00:31:25.349 --> 00:31:27.990 is, the only response that makes sense is worship. 00:31:29.130 --> 00:31:30.829 I trust that's why you're here this morning. 00:31:31.869 --> 00:31:35.529 The only response, the only reason that you would 00:31:35.529 --> 00:31:37.230 be here, the only reason it makes sense is because 00:31:37.230 --> 00:31:39.210 you recognize Jesus as God. You've come to worship 00:31:39.210 --> 00:31:41.769 him. We've come to worship the triune God, one 00:31:41.769 --> 00:31:44.490 God eternally existing in three eternal persons, 00:31:44.710 --> 00:31:47.650 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We're here to worship. 00:31:48.529 --> 00:31:50.950 We've seen who he is. See, the disciples saw 00:31:50.950 --> 00:31:53.839 Jesus walk on water. They saw him grant Peter 00:31:53.839 --> 00:31:56.839 the ability to walk on water. They saw him rescue 00:31:56.839 --> 00:31:59.099 Peter when he began to sink. And they saw the 00:31:59.099 --> 00:32:01.900 storm end immediately as Jesus got into the boat. 00:32:03.700 --> 00:32:06.220 And no doubt, this is making a profound impression 00:32:06.220 --> 00:32:08.559 upon them. Think about it. They're eyewitnesses 00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:11.299 of this. All this is making this deep impression 00:32:11.299 --> 00:32:14.680 upon them. So what do they do? They came while 00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:16.779 they're in the boat and they worshipped him. 00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:21.680 In other words, worship. It's proskuneo in Greek, 00:32:21.799 --> 00:32:25.180 and it literally means to bow down. To bow down. 00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:30.019 Literally, to prostrate yourself or to kiss the 00:32:30.019 --> 00:32:35.180 hand. This is an act of humility. It's an act 00:32:35.180 --> 00:32:37.519 of submission. It's an act of reverence. Now, 00:32:37.559 --> 00:32:39.259 here's the thing, because some skeptics will 00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:42.359 tell you this, and they're right here. This act 00:32:42.359 --> 00:32:45.079 of humility and respect and reverence, it is 00:32:45.079 --> 00:32:47.779 given to a superior. Now, that can be to a human 00:32:47.779 --> 00:32:51.400 authority like a king. But in the scriptures, 00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:55.019 it's given to God himself. The disciples confess, 00:32:55.359 --> 00:33:01.759 truly, you are the son of God. That's the confession 00:33:01.759 --> 00:33:05.539 we all must make. Now, they didn't truly understand 00:33:05.539 --> 00:33:08.259 the significance of their confession until after 00:33:08.259 --> 00:33:11.160 Jesus rose from the dead. Their understanding 00:33:11.160 --> 00:33:14.259 of Jesus, it would wax and wane. It would grow, 00:33:14.359 --> 00:33:15.920 and then you're like, one moment they're making 00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:17.579 these great confessions, the next moment they're 00:33:17.579 --> 00:33:20.380 dull as can be. You're like, what gives? Well, 00:33:20.420 --> 00:33:22.680 I believe their understanding is coming in waves. 00:33:23.420 --> 00:33:25.599 It's kind of like peeling back an onion. They 00:33:25.599 --> 00:33:29.599 kept peeling back layer by layer. But once Jesus 00:33:29.599 --> 00:33:34.519 rose again, ah, they really got it. They understood 00:33:34.519 --> 00:33:37.720 who Jesus was. But you and I live on this side 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:40.859 of the resurrection. And we have the gift of 00:33:40.859 --> 00:33:42.880 hindsight. We have the gift of looking back. 00:33:43.150 --> 00:33:45.529 So you and I can look back with clear eyes. We 00:33:45.529 --> 00:33:47.769 can look back with clarity and we can easily 00:33:47.769 --> 00:33:50.990 see, yes, that man, Jesus, is the son of God. 00:33:51.150 --> 00:33:54.769 He's the second person of the Holy Trinity. He 00:33:54.769 --> 00:33:57.450 is God himself. He is Yahweh in the flesh. He 00:33:57.450 --> 00:33:59.789 is God incarnate. He is the one who has come 00:33:59.789 --> 00:34:03.890 to save his people. And he is the one who is 00:34:03.890 --> 00:34:09.989 worthy of all worship. It's inevitable everyone 00:34:09.989 --> 00:34:14.599 in here will face a storm in their life. Storms 00:34:14.599 --> 00:34:17.840 of adversity, storms of suffering, storms of 00:34:17.840 --> 00:34:21.699 temptation, young people, storms of loss. Now, 00:34:21.699 --> 00:34:23.519 honestly, most of those storms we'd rather avoid. 00:34:23.659 --> 00:34:27.119 No one likes them, but God is doing something 00:34:27.119 --> 00:34:30.719 in them. He's maturing us. He's perfecting us 00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:36.079 by and through those same storms. Some of us 00:34:36.079 --> 00:34:38.280 are still a little naive. We've all been here. 00:34:38.420 --> 00:34:40.599 We think, well, if God loves us, then we're going 00:34:40.599 --> 00:34:44.900 to avoid storms altogether. It is precisely because 00:34:44.900 --> 00:34:48.059 God loves you that he allows the storm to come 00:34:48.059 --> 00:34:53.619 by them. He is making us fit for heaven. He is 00:34:53.619 --> 00:34:56.460 strengthening our faith and he is growing us 00:34:56.460 --> 00:34:58.840 in our understanding of who Jesus Christ really 00:34:58.840 --> 00:35:03.920 is and how important he is. So what do we see 00:35:03.920 --> 00:35:07.860 in Matthew 14 as we close here? We see a savior 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:13.809 on the mountainside praying for his people. We 00:35:13.809 --> 00:35:19.429 also see disciples in a boat struggling. You 00:35:19.429 --> 00:35:25.289 know what I see there? Life. It's life. This 00:35:25.289 --> 00:35:28.210 life is a struggle. We're like in the boat and 00:35:28.210 --> 00:35:30.250 we're rowing against the wind. And what's Jesus? 00:35:30.869 --> 00:35:32.710 What's Jesus doing right now? What's Jesus doing 00:35:32.710 --> 00:35:37.110 today? He's praying. He's praying for his people. 00:35:38.050 --> 00:35:40.449 He saw them struggling in the middle of the sea, 00:35:40.510 --> 00:35:47.090 Mark 6. came to them in the storm, and he safely 00:35:47.090 --> 00:35:51.349 brought them to shore. Our Lord will not always 00:35:51.349 --> 00:35:53.769 keep us from the storm, nor will he immediately 00:35:53.769 --> 00:35:57.429 calm the storm, but he promises to be with us 00:35:57.429 --> 00:36:01.170 in the storm. And in that, take heart, friends. 00:36:02.190 --> 00:36:07.570 Take heart. Be of good cheer. Take courage. Why? 00:36:07.750 --> 00:36:12.940 For Jesus Christ is with you. The Son of the 00:36:12.940 --> 00:36:16.460 living God has bound himself to you and we are 00:36:16.460 --> 00:36:19.739 one with him. And in that, find joy but also 00:36:19.739 --> 00:36:23.599 find courage. This is why we're here, to worship 00:36:23.599 --> 00:36:27.739 the one who walks on water. Let's pray and prepare 00:36:27.739 --> 00:36:31.000 ourselves to commune with this risen Christ at 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:33.699 the table. Father, we thank you so very much 00:36:33.699 --> 00:36:36.039 for your word. Lord God, I thank you for the 00:36:36.039 --> 00:36:43.099 encouragement that it brings. Lord, I don't want 00:36:43.099 --> 00:36:45.500 to be flippant or glib about the storms of life. 00:36:45.579 --> 00:36:48.139 Lord, there are some, Lord, who in this particular 00:36:48.139 --> 00:36:54.019 church are hurting deeply. I think of my brother 00:36:54.019 --> 00:36:59.400 George Fuller, my sister Christy Davis. Lord, 00:36:59.400 --> 00:37:01.679 I think about my sisters recently. Lord, we think 00:37:01.679 --> 00:37:10.119 of Kim who's still reeling, Nancy, others. And 00:37:10.119 --> 00:37:14.960 they hurt. These storms hurt. But God, you're 00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:18.820 with us. There's never a moment that we encounter 00:37:18.820 --> 00:37:23.679 when you will give up on us. You have your grip 00:37:23.679 --> 00:37:27.159 on us and you bring us to heaven, sure. Lord, 00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:29.699 I pray for those who are here this morning, Lord, 00:37:29.739 --> 00:37:32.420 who some are out of fellowship with you and some, 00:37:32.559 --> 00:37:36.519 Lord, don't even know you. God, I beg of you, 00:37:36.579 --> 00:37:42.840 in your mercy, Lord, save the lost. Open the 00:37:42.840 --> 00:37:46.420 eyes of the blind. Reveal your son to them, Lord. 00:37:47.500 --> 00:37:49.139 For those who are out of fellowship with you, 00:37:49.199 --> 00:37:51.320 Lord God, I pray that you would bring them to 00:37:51.320 --> 00:37:54.519 a place of repentance, Lord. A place of submission. 00:37:56.539 --> 00:37:59.860 Because Jesus is worthy, Lord. The one you have 00:37:59.860 --> 00:38:02.219 given, Lord, your son, he is worthy. He's worthy 00:38:02.219 --> 00:38:04.599 of our lives. He's worthy of our worship. He's 00:38:04.599 --> 00:38:07.300 worthy of the walk that we have in life. Lord, 00:38:07.360 --> 00:38:10.000 God, help us that he's the center of gravity 00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:12.300 in our lives, that everything revolves around 00:38:12.300 --> 00:38:16.980 him and his glory. Lord, to seek first your kingdom, 00:38:17.059 --> 00:38:20.099 your righteousness. God, forgive us, Lord. Have 00:38:20.099 --> 00:38:23.099 mercy upon us. Lord, we are failures at best, 00:38:23.179 --> 00:38:25.960 but Lord, even so, you invite us to share a meal 00:38:25.960 --> 00:38:28.489 with you this morning. to come to the table of 00:38:28.489 --> 00:38:31.369 Christ. Lord, to see the broken body and the 00:38:31.369 --> 00:38:33.349 shed blood of Christ. In that, we find our hope. 00:38:33.469 --> 00:38:35.829 To commune with the risen Christ, Lord, who is 00:38:35.829 --> 00:38:38.409 in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father 00:38:38.409 --> 00:38:41.650 in glory, interceding for his own. Lord, in ways 00:38:41.650 --> 00:38:43.409 that we don't know, that's a mystery. Lord, we 00:38:43.409 --> 00:38:45.530 believe our faith is strengthened, and we truly 00:38:45.530 --> 00:38:48.269 commune with Christ, as the scriptures tell us. 00:38:48.530 --> 00:38:51.110 Lord, prepare our hearts for this, Lord. God, 00:38:51.150 --> 00:38:53.630 we confess once again our sins. Lord, we're failures. 00:38:54.139 --> 00:38:55.980 That, Lord God, you don't chide us. You don't 00:38:55.980 --> 00:38:58.179 rebuke us. You don't stiff arm us or push us 00:38:58.179 --> 00:39:01.960 off. You invite us in. Take, eat. This is the 00:39:01.960 --> 00:39:05.199 body broken for us. Take, come, and drink. This 00:39:05.199 --> 00:39:07.119 is the new covenant given in the blood of Christ. 00:39:07.360 --> 00:39:10.260 What a glorious truth we find. In Christ's name 00:39:10.260 --> 00:39:12.980 we pray. Amen. I'm going to ask the deacons to 00:39:12.980 --> 00:39:13.940 come and prepare the table.