MATT. 14:22-33
Subject: Life’s
Trials
Theme: Dynamic
and triumphant living recognizes the presence and power of Christ, even in the
storms.
Matt 14:22-33
22 And straightway
Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto
the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 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. 31 And
immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind
ceased. 33 Then they
that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the
Son of God. (KJV)
Introduction:
Responding with rock-solid faith in Jesus Christ is the alternative to fearful
responses to life’s storms. Recognizing His Presence and Power replaces the
coward’s heart with a champion’s heart. Continuous or chronic defeat rooted in
our fears, worries, anxieties, and perplexities can be a matter of our history
beginning today. Remember our Lord Christ inspires the weary storm-tossed
believer to envision a life of triumph in spite of the troubles. You see, the
faith that overcomes fears, obeys Christ’s commands, attempts the impossible,
and experiences Christ great enabling power is for every genuine child of God.
Beloved, you and I need to cultivate great confidence in the Presences and
Power of Jesus. In the incident of the disciples, it is Jesus who moved them
from fear to faith. How can we be transformed by the power of Christ’s presence
during life’s challenges? How can we become “Storm-Walking Christians?”
Thesis Statement: To
become “Storm-Walking Christians” we must Hear Christ’s Command, Attempt the
Impossible, and Experience His Power.
This is the last of a three part series on Storm-Walking with
Jesus. After we hear Christ's command and attempt the impossible, we are in the
correct position to....
Message:
Experience
Jesus’ Power in the Storm (Matt. 14:29-32).
Peter’s impulsive request led him to experience a rather
unusual demonstration of God’s power. Jesus’ presence in the storm inspired
Peter to implement a fearless faith to attempt the impossible. Jesus gives him
the power to obey. Jesus said to Peter, “Come!” And then He granted him the
ability to walk on water to Him. Peter did not have this ability in himself,
but he was enabled to walk on water in direct response to Jesus’ command. Peter
asked to do what Jesus was doing; he wanted to share in Jesus’ power! By doing
so he walked on a massive storm at sea! So what are the possibilities for us
today? Well, we can....
Experience
Christ’s Power to Enable (14:29).
We should never waste time, energy, or opportunity wondering
if God can empower us to execute any of His commands or requirements.
Do Not Hesitate To Obey
What God Tells You To Do In The Midst Of Your Storm. While we want to be
sure we have God's guidance before we act, once He has spoken to our hearts it
is time to take action. God's people should be people of decisive action. The
more we know the Old Book the better we can determine what God expects of us in
a given situation.
Bring All of Christ’s
Enabling Resources to Bear as You Respond to His Will.
We may experience God’s Power through Prayer. Peter’s little
walk on the water began with a simple prayer request— “Lord,
if it be thou, bid me come”—but what a powerful development it was as he
defied the laws of nature and entered the realm of the power of God (See Acts
4:29-33). Through prayer we can experience miraculous life-changing power to
defy our fears and hesitations to become actively obedient and to be empowered
to transcend the mundane.
We can also experience God’s Power through Yielding. In
2Corinthians 12:9, Paul the Apostle says, “And he said
unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me.” The Christian life is humanly
impossible without yielding to Christ’s grace. Without such strengthening grace
we are left with meaningless pain, debilitating suffering, and the harsh
limitations imposed by our conditions. However, through the grace of Christ we can know
power in spite of our incredible weaknesses. We can live beyond our infirmities
in the power of Christ. Our obligation is to yield to His will, His authority,
and His right to do His perfecting work in His people. Let Him have His way
with you, and He will work powerfully through you.
Christians may experience God’s Power through the Holy
Spirit’s Activity in Us. Doctor Luke tells us of Christ’s promise in Acts 1:8,
saying, “But ye shall receive power, after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you….” The Holy Spirit empowers and equips us to
carry out God’s commands. This is fundamentally power for witnessing throughout
the entire world during our generation. We can overcome our general reluctance
to engage people about spiritual matters in obedience to Christ. The Spirit of
God generates godly boldness, love, and passion in the yielded heart propelling
us into evangelistic ministry and endeavors. The same could be said for
spiritual growth and maturation. Beloved, the Christian life, like walking on
water, is humanly impossible. It can only be lived by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
Then lastly, we can experience God’s Power through confidence
in Christ. Like Peter we can become distracted by the magnificence of a storm,
but we really must learn to remain captivated by the majesty, grace, force,
power, and will of Christ our Lord. Beloved, Jesus is the most, the highest,
the greatest, the excellent, and there is nothing above or beyond Him. He truly
can handle anything and everything! Look at Him…He is walking on a monster
storm at sea! He is above it! He is superior to it! It cannot frustrate or
intimidate Him. He is gloriously Lord Almighty…even in the storms! As long as
we look away from every other distraction to Jesus alone (Heb. 12:2), we can
experience the supernatural life. He gives us the courage, the strength, and
the ability we need to act in obedience. Train your eyes on Jesus in the Word,
Jesus at the Father’s right hand in Heaven, and Jesus who is coming again in
awesome power and you will make it through any storm-walking challenge.
“Expect great things
from God; Attempt Great Things for God”—William Carey
William Carey is known as the Father of Modern Missions
because he literally lived out his belief that the gospel should be preached to
people of other cultures and countries.
Before there was an extensive world missions movement and
before there were any independent missions societies, and before there were any
recruits for missionary work on foreign soil, William Carey was passionately
declaring that there was a biblical mandate for cross-culture evangelism. He
was a true pioneer in that he undertook missions work without any established
guidelines, or without any individual to serve as a pattern of success or
failure that he could consult with or draw from.
Yet, by the grace of God, he developed an all-encompassing
program involving spiritual, educational, social, and evangelistic activities
setting a pattern of a well-rounded missionary model of missionary work. He served for forty years as a missionary in
China planting indigenous churches and translating the Bible into several
languages. He personified his sermon from Isaiah to, “Expect great things from
God; Attempt Great Things for God.” He was indeed a ‘water walker!’
Experience
Christ’s Power to Rescue (14:30-31).
Deliverance can swiftly when Peter cried out to the Lord Jesus
in humble trust. Peter’s faith was challenged, therefore as he sank, he
frantically cried to the Lord for help. “Lord, save me!” When Peter’s faith
faltered, he reached out to Christ, the only one who could help. He was afraid,
but he still looked to Christ. When you are apprehensive about the troubles
around you and doubt Christ’s presence or ability to help, remember that He is
the only one who can really help.
Immediately the Lord caught him, saving him from drowning in
the waves. Jesus’ immediate response showed Peter that divine assistance and power
are present in times of testing. Jesus will not only come to you in the storm,
but He will make a difference in the storm. Though we struggle with doubts and
fears, He is still with you and He will never forsake you. This is especially
true in the storms of life. You do not endure them alone.
You may feel like you are sinking under the waves of pressure,
debt, temptations, parenting, failures, and rejection, but our Storm-Walking
Lord Jesus is always there. Look to Him! We too must cry out to Christ for
deliverance, restoration, and divine enabling. There is power for deliverance
in the storms!
Discovery is a wonderful part of the Storm-Walking experience.
This experience was difficult for Peter, but it helped him to grow in his
knowledge of himself and of the Lord. Beloved, we really get to know the Lord
as we walk with Him through the storms! It is equally true that we can discover
a great deal about ourselves. Some of it will be honoring and other discoveries
will be surprising. All of these realizations can prove to be healthy. The
storms of life are not easy, but they are necessary. They teach us to trust
Jesus Christ alone and to obey His Word no matter what the circumstances may
be. It has well been said, “Faith is not believing in spite of evidence, but
obeying in spite of consequence.” Our Lord Jesus can rescue us from doubts,
deliver us from our fears, and help us discover truths about Him and ourselves.
Beloved, recognizing the Lord’s Presence in the Storm will
inspire faith, generate security, embolden the timid to attempt the impossible,
and avail Christ’s power to triumph over the storms of life. Fear,
intimidation, mediocrity, doubts, and frustration have stolen many believers
desire to live the impossible life. They do not realize that acknowledging
Christ’s Presence and Power in the Storm is the difference between
discouragement and dynamic living.
What do you fear? Is it
yourself...failure…success…sacrifice…the unknown…making mistakes…what people
may say or think? I want to encourage you to never allow your fears to define
you. Focus on Jesus and He will empower you to live the impossible life to His
glory!
Conclusion: In the
final analysis, Christ aims to grow and strengthen our faith and He will use
the storms of life to achieve His grand design. Yes, there is power and help to
actually grow through the storms. This was a major purpose for this storm—to
help the disciples mature in their faith. Nothing makes our doubts surface like a
serious test of our faith! Because of the storms we become aware of our true
level of faith, and we have the opportunity to become more aware of our Lord’s
faithfulness. We also come away knowing WHO we believe! Such awareness heightens and encourages our confidence in Him.
In the context of Matthew 14, Jesus would one day leave His
disciples, and they would face many storms in their ministries. It was
necessary for them to learn to trust Him even though He was not physically
present with them, and even though it looked as though He did not care. On this
occasion they grew in their faith…especially Peter who walked on a storm.
Jesus came early that morning with unexpected help and
encouragement during the disciples’ time of desperate need—they were in a life
threatening storm at sea. Beloved, their need was real; their fears were real,
and their energies were depleted. But in the presence of Jesus, fear must give
way to faith.
When Jesus arrived, he made a huge difference! Because of
Jesus—all he taught, all he did—your life is different now! You're not alone.
You have a heavenly Father, a living Savior, and a powerful Comforter. All the
problems that beset you are now theirs as well. In the face of every problem, each
heartbreak, every troubling diagnosis . . . Hear Christ’s Command, Attempt
the Impossible, and Experience His Power!
I believe it was R. A. Torrey who said, “The first result of
walking with God is great joy, abounding joy, and secondly, a great sense of
security, of abiding peace.” Beloved, peace can be yours also…even in the
middle of the storm. Trust the Lord and walk with Him still…even through the
storms at sea. Through faith in Christ Jesus we become storm-walking Christians
whose lives are empowered by Him.
